• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Can you combine treatments from two drs? Is it safe?

Messages
25
Location
plymouth, ma
I went from no dr. offering me help to 2 dr's promising to help.

Now I'm confused. Can someone advise me on what they may have done, or what to be wary of?

I saw Dr Elson at Northampton Wellness in MA. He had a lot of thoughts about what has happened to me. Thinks there is definitely an infection somewhere and what else I do not know, but took 25 vials of blood. First Dr. to ever make me feel HOPE.

Presribed b12 shots, mega mulit, fish oil, similase (for gluten exp..I am celiac) d-ribrose, coq10, aacetyl l carnitine, and chronic illness iv treatment.

The iv treatment is 2 hours long, has aminos, b6, b12, b complex, calcium gluconate, glutathione, heparin, magn sulfate, mag chloride, mineral mix, dexpanthenol, taurine and zinc.

The next day I saw Dr. Enlander. Thought I was textbook ME/CFS/Fibro.

Prescribed Lectrolytes, b6 sublingual, a morning and evening immunoplus, and gave me heparessin to inject if needed after our phone consult in 2 weeks.

I went from nothing to overload. What should I do?

thanks,
Joy
 

SanDiego#1

SanDiego#1
Messages
280
Location
SouthEast USA
I went from no dr. offering me help to 2 dr's promising to help.

Now I'm confused. Can someone advise me on what they may have done, or what to be wary of?

I saw Dr Elson at Northampton Wellness in MA. He had a lot of thoughts about what has happened to me. Thinks there is definitely an infection somewhere and what else I do not know, but took 25 vials of blood. First Dr. to ever make me feel HOPE.

Presribed b12 shots, mega mulit, fish oil, similase (for gluten exp..I am celiac) d-ribrose, coq10, aacetyl l carnitine, and chronic illness iv treatment.

The iv treatment is 2 hours long, has aminos, b6, b12, b complex, calcium gluconate, glutathione, heparin, magn sulfate, mag chloride, mineral mix, dexpanthenol, taurine and zinc.

The next day I saw Dr. Enlander. Thought I was textbook ME/CFS/Fibro.

Prescribed Lectrolytes, b6 sublingual, a morning and evening immunoplus, and gave me heparessin to inject if needed after our phone consult in 2 weeks.

WHY WOULD YOU SEE ANOTHER DR. THE NEXT DAY????? DO ONE AT AT TIME SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS WORKING!!!

SAN DIEGO#1

I went from nothing to overload. What should I do?

thanks,
Joy
 
Messages
25
Location
plymouth, ma
to be honest, I was trying to make appointments with doctors to see who could help me. Pcp diagnosed CFS through exclusion and told me the only thing I could do was take antidepressants and get acupuncture.

The appointments were originally a month apart. But got changed.

I am at the point in my journey where it has just begun, I've been sick for 3 yrs, passed from one specialist to another and while they scratch their heads, I got sicker and weaker.

I am new at this and have no idea what to do. I'm just sick and scared.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
I would just try one doctors treatment plan first, take a month or so and see how you're feeling. It would be difficult to combine the two - you wouldn't know what was working and what wasn't.

I understand how you've ended up in this situation - we get so desperate and things just end up like this sometimes.
Better to have 2 than none so give one of them a go and put the other on hold.
being sick is scary, we understand.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
@Goimurph I think it is safe as long as you tell both Drs what the other is prescribing. I did this for a short while after having a bad flare of Fibro/CFIDS? in 2009. I was tired of trying one thing at a time and giving it a month or longer, depending upon the med, and not significant improvement! Before you know it years go by!

I will forward your original message to someone else who I know goes to the NorthHampton place. I know of a place in Plymouth, but they probably do not take your insurance? (Would save you a lot of travel!) I will try to start a conversation with you, if I remember, need to go out for a bit.

Have you asked about (low dose naltrexone) LDN?

GG
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
I agree with @maryb. It's probably better to do one treatment plan at a time, especially since you are new to treatment.

If you do choose to follow multiple treatment plans, it is important for your health and safety that you follow ggingues' advice and tell both your docs everything you are doing and taking. However, it's possible that one or both docs will not consider it safe for you to mix treatments and refuse to treat you under those circumstances, so be prepared for that eventuality.
 
Messages
25
Location
plymouth, ma
Thank you for all of your input.

This has been a whirlwind of a week. I learn so much as I go. My husband for the life of him can't understand why I "seem" worse today than the other day. I'm not sure he will ever get it. Sometimes I have to remind him..."You know I'm sick, right?"

I think right now, I will stick with Elson's plan, as I have an appointment for an iv treatment tues. I'll listen to what both of them come up with and go from there. More than likely choosing one plan over the other.

I will figure out how to work in my visit with Dr. Enlander in my next apt with Elson and see if he recommends using a combination. But at that point I'm hoping I'll have somewhat of a feel of how things are going to that point.

GG,....I did check with the Rothfeld center, and he did not take my insurance, but someone else in the clinic, I think did.

What is Low Dose Naltrexone?
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
I know this is an older post but I wanted to give some feedback and hope it helps. I am seeing several different doctors (cardiologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, etc, and now a naturopath.) Only the naturopath is knowledgable in treating CFS and I now view her as my PCP (because my original PCP through my insurance was useless and did not believe in CFS and said there was "No treatment.") I run everything by my NP before I start any new treatment no matter what it is. However, my endo prescribes my thyroid medication and my cardiologist prescribes my beta blocker and now Florinef. The GI doctor was not really that helpful but gave me some probiotics and digestive enzymes that did help (and my ND decided to continue plus adding a second probiotic.) I always look everything up on Drugs.com to check for drug interactions and run everything by my ND to make sure there is no confusion. Just be careful that your main doctor knows EVERYTHING that you are taking so there is no risk for drug interactions and best of luck.
 
Messages
25
Location
plymouth, ma
hi...

I have been now seeing a functional md. This seems to be helping where he is looking at a lot of different things and treating them all together.

I chose a new pcp and she seemed fine with everything. Maybe not so if things change,,,, we'll see
 
Messages
85
This is probably the best site to explain it: http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/

I take it and it is very helpful but that is not true for everyone. :(

Sushi

What Sushi says is very true. KDM has stated a few times that when he trialed Naltrexone on healthy subjects initially combined with exercise they became suicidal! Naltrexone also blocks endorphins induced by exercise. Food for thought?