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In my experience, recovering from Bartonella, one of the Lyme disease co-infections, requires
Limited research shows which antimicrobials work best for Bartonella. Existing studies are petri dish experiments showing intracellular antibiotics (ones that get inside of cells) work best. Hence, the antibiotic treatments I describe below use these intracellular antibiotics.
Unfortunately, no studies about Bartonella treatment exist in people living with Lyme. As a result, most experienced Lyme Literate Medical Doctors use their clinical judgment to determine that it can take four to six months of continuous antimicrobials for Bartonella to resolve.
In my clinical practice, many different combinations of herbal and prescription antibiotics work to cure Bartonella. I explain these various combinations below. With these treatments—including steps to boost the immune system and to decrease inflammation—it is possible to cure Bartonella 95 percent of the time, in my experience. This means five percent of people may have relapses or require treatments involving a number of the different approaches below.
It is critical for Bartonella recovery to take steps that boost the immune system. Boost the immune system following the first ten steps in The Ross Lyme Support Protocol. These steps may
Bartonella can be difficult to treat when a person has a Borrelia (Lyme) infection. To prevent relapse, it is best to use two antibiotic combinations. There are three tiers of treatments. Tier One and Two include prescription antibiotics; Tier Three is an herbal antimicrobial combination. The most effective treatments are in Tier One followed by Tier Two. Tier Three is for the person who cannot tolerate prescription antibiotics or when the prescriptions do not work. Tier One combinations appear to work 90 percent of the time and Tier Two about 80 percent of the time. Tier Three seems to work 70 percent of the time or less.
As I noted above, there is no useful science to guide treatment decisions for Bartonella in someone who has Lyme. What follows is based on my experience treating Bartonella in Lyme disease. In general, if a treatment is working, the symptoms of Bartonella should start to improve in one to two months. If they do not start to improve, then change to a different regimen. Read more about Bartonella symptoms in It Could Be Bartonella or Babesia: The Symptoms and Signs.
In these treatments, rifampin or rifabutin is the main effective ingredient. Combine rifampin 300 mg 2 pills 1 time a day or rifabutin 150 mg 2 pills 1 time a day with one of the following:
Doxycycline 100 mg 1 or 2, 2 times a day can be substituted for the minocycline, but rifampin decreases doxycycline levels in the blood. Clarithromycin (Biaxin) 500 mg 1 pill 2 times a day can be substituted for azithromycin, but rifampin also decreases clarithromycin blood levels.
One way to make this treatment stronger is to double the dose of the rifampin from 300 mg 2 pills 1 time a day to 300 mg 2 pills 2 times a day.
Combine Bactrim DS 1 pill 2 times a day with either a macrolide or a tetracycline.
Use one of the following macrolides:
Or use one of these tetracyclines:
Fluoroquinolones are a class of antibiotics that include a number of members like levofloxacin (Levaquin) and ciprofloxacin (Cipro). Combine levofloxacin 500 mg 1 pill 1 time a day or ciprofloxacin 500 mg 1 pill 2 times a day with one of the following:
Clarithromycin and azithromycin are not used with fluoroquinolones because together they may cause heart rhythm problems. Levofloxacin seems stronger than the ciprofloxacin.
Use Fluoroquinolone-based treatments as a last resort, because they occasionally can cause permanent tendon pain or even breakage.
Use one of the following macrolides:
Combine these with a tetracycline:
I started using these two herbs together in the summer of 2015. This combination effectively supports a bartonella treatment about 70 percent of the time. Start houttuynia at 5 drops 2 times a day and increase daily by 1 drop per dose till at 30 drops 2 times a day. At the same time, take sida acuta 1/4 tsp 3 times a day and after 1 week if tolerating it increase to 1/2 tsp 3 times a day.
Prior to using this combination, I was not impressed with other herbal options. For instance, I have tried a formula called A-BART by Byron White, which are herbs that seem to help less than 50 percent of the time. Likewise, houttuynia by itself only works 50 percent of the time.
For most of the combinations described above, treatment requires four to six months. The only exception to this is a treatment that includes levofloxacin, which typically requires one to three months. Treat until most of the Bartonella symptoms go away. Fortunately, 95 of people recover from Bartonella using the immune supports and Tier One or Two approaches. The remaining five percent may have relapses or require continuous antibiotics to keep Bartonella under control. If a person relapses, three antibiotic combinations work well.
The ideas and recommendations on this website and in this article are for informational purposes only. For more information about this, see the sitewide Terms & Conditions.
Marty Ross, MD is a passionate Lyme disease educator and clinical expert. He helps Lyme sufferers and their physicians see what really works based on his review of the science and extensive real-world experience. Dr. Ross is licensed to practice medicine in Washington State where he has treated thousands of Lyme disease patients in his Seattle practice.
Marty Ross, MD is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine and Georgetown University Family Medicine Residency. He is a member of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) and The Institute for Functional Medicine.
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