Doxycycline and eye pain

[adreno]

Do you think it is possible that the infection itself could be causing the intracranial pressure, or at least adding to it?

Well, when I stopped the doxy for 2-3 days, the headache and eye pain significantly improved. Upon restarting the doxy 2 days ago, the headache is back, and also the eye pain/pressure. It is a bit difficult and painful to move my eyes, especially the right one. My thinking is slowed, lethargic and am not really able to do much. I don't have blocked sinusses.

I went to the doctors yesterday to ask for another antibiotic. Since I don't have any blood tests confirming my diagnosis (only the tick, which tested positive for rickettsia), he questioned whether I was infected at all, and asked me to stop the abx. He would then arrange for a checkup and some tests in 1-2 weeks.

Obviously I'm afraid to stop taking the abx, beacuse of what happened last time I stopped. After 2-3 days of stopping I suddenly felt quite ill with stiff and painful neck, and it felt like my brain was on fire. I felt it hard to move the muscles of my face. After restarting the abx, I began to improve after a few hours.

Right now the pressure in my head is pretty bad, and I worry about any loss of vision that can occur from long term pressure on the optic nerve. My peripheral vision seems slightly dimmed on my right side.

If I stop the abx, and end up having to go to the ER, what are they going to do? Will they be able to find the infection and treat it? I really have no idea how to cope with this situation.

 

[Sidereal]

Can you get a blood test for rickettsia to prove that you are infected? Of course doxy could be working via reducing neuroinflammation rather than treating an infection, although that seems unlikely given the symptoms appearing after the tick bite. If you can get a blood test then it should be possible to convince a doctor to prescribe another antibiotic. Question is, which one. I'm afraid I know nothing about rickettsia.

 

[adreno]

I suppose the logical thing would be to deal with the present problem (head pressure) first, and then deal with the second problem (infection), if and when it recurs. In some ways I do agree with the doctor that we don't what to try out different abx when we don't know what we are treating for. Although rickettsia seems the most likely, I cannot be sure of this. I can probably go and ask for blood tests if I can make it into next week without any major incidents. I don't know how reliable those test are, though, especially after having taken abx.

 

[Martial]

Well, when I stopped the doxy for 2-3 days, the headache and eye pain significantly improved. Upon restarting the doxy 2 days ago, the headache is back, and also the eye pain/pressure. It is a bit difficult and painful to move my eyes, especially the right one. My thinking is slowed, lethargic and am not really able to do much. I don't have blocked sinusses.

I went to the doctors yesterday to ask for another antibiotic. Since I don't have any blood tests confirming my diagnosis (only the tick, which tested positive for rickettsia), he questioned whether I was infected at all, and asked me to stop the abx. He would then arrange for a checkup and some tests in 1-2 weeks.

Obviously I'm afraid to stop taking the abx, beacuse of what happened last time I stopped. After 2-3 days of stopping I suddenly felt quite ill with stiff and painful neck, and it felt like my brain was on fire. I felt it hard to move the muscles of my face. After restarting the abx, I began to improve after a few hours.

Right now the pressure in my head is pretty bad, and I worry about any loss of vision that can occur from long term pressure on the optic nerve. My peripheral vision seems slightly dimmed on my right side.

If I stop the abx, and end up having to go to the ER, what are they going to do? Will they be able to find the infection and treat it? I really have no idea how to cope with this situation.

They wouldn't know enough in an ER to treat something that specialized. You would most likely have to find someone who does have experience with it, getting their professional opinion. Most people know nothing much about it to really offer the best advice you could recieve. Doxy is the main antibiotic of choice, but I think Ceftin would be a decent substitute. You really just need to reach out to someone and ask a specialist opinion to be absolutely sure. The only options I see are finish the doxy for the recommended time perscribed, stay off antibiotics until someone more well versed can offer advice, or have someone switch out the Doxy for something like amoxy, or Ceftin because it may be more tolerable. I am sure you know this but just stay the hell away from quinoline based antibiotics, also supplementing NAC while on antibiotics might be worthwhile to protect mitochondria.