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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by cactus on May 27, 2008, at 21:32:05
Has anyone experienced this? I just got back from holidays and it was a malarial zone. I didn't know if it's just me or a common side effect of doxy? Also on modafinil and clonazepam.
Posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 7:18:37
In reply to Doxycycline and mood swings, posted by cactus on May 27, 2008, at 21:32:05
> Has anyone experienced this? I just got back from holidays and it was a malarial zone. I didn't know if it's just me or a common side effect of doxy? Also on modafinil and clonazepam.
Doxycycline has anti-inflammatory properties that some speculate are helpful to treat depression, as depression is often associated with an elevation of cytokines.
Q: During your mood swings, did you feel that the depressive phase was worse than your untreated baseline depression?
It is possible that the doxycline is in the process of resetting your mood in order to stabilize it at a higher, less depressed level. The path that this process might follow may include frequent adjustments taking place in the brain. Sometimes, one first feels worse on doxycycline before feeling better.
I'm really reaching on this one.
I tried doxycycline to treat my depression. One must give it 3-6 months to work. My doctor suggested this. It did not help at all, but neither did it hurt.
I am hoping that if you stick with it, you may derive some benefit. If you've been on doxycycline for more that 3 months and remain feeling worse on it, you might as well discontinue it if you no longer need it for malaria prophylaxis.
- Scott
Posted by cactus on May 28, 2008, at 8:18:10
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings » cactus, posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 7:18:37
That's interesting SLS, I've only been on it for 6 days now. I have to take it for a one night stay on a very remote island in the south pacific for malaria at the end of my holiday.
My depression has been under control for about 6 months now, but it's the mood swings that are frightening me. They are very intense and happen so quickly. I'm fine one minute, then spitting venom the next, then fine again. Thank god I only have about 12 days left until I can stop it. Damn malaria, but I'd rather have a very short fuse for a few days than get a bout of it. We all got bitten by mozzies even with tropical strength repellent on, even through our clothes which we sprayed too.
I didn't put my finger on it until 3 days ago, it's the only thing I can think of that's causing it.
Thanks for your reply. C
Posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 9:15:05
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings » SLS, posted by cactus on May 28, 2008, at 8:18:10
After Googling, I see that there are some reports of doxycycline producing psychiatric disturbances. The frequency is pretty low according to a study I found on Medline. However, you might be in that minority who reacts badly to it. Mefloquine has a greater propensity to produce depression.
The included abstract reported a small increase in the rate of depression with doxycycline.
- Scott
*****************************************************
The risk of severe depression, psychosis or panic attacks with prophylactic antimalarials.
Meier CR, Wilcock K, Jick SS.Basel Pharmacoepidemiology Unit, Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Meierch@uhbs.ch
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: Experimental and observational studies have linked mefloquine use to an increased risk of developing neuropsychiatric adverse effects such as depression or psychoses. Most of these reports relied on interview-based information from travellers. We conducted a population-based observational study using a database of medical records to quantify and compare the risk of psychiatric disorders during or after use of mefloquine with the risk during use of proguanil and/or chloroquine, or doxycycline. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: The study population was drawn from the large UK-based General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Subjects were aged from 17-79 years and were exposed to mefloquine, proguanil, chloroquine or doxycycline (or a combination of these drugs) at some time between 1990 and 1999. We performed a person-time and a nested case-control analysis to assess the risk of developing a first-time diagnosis of depression, psychosis or panic attack during or after use of these antimalarial drugs. RESULTS: Within the study population of 35 370 subjects (45.2% males), we identified 580 subjects with a first-time diagnosis of depression (n = 505), psychosis (n = 16) or panic attack (n = 57) and two subjects committed suicide. The incidence rates of first-time diagnoses of depression during current use of mefloquine, proguanil and/or chloroquine, or doxycycline, adjusted for age, gender and calendar year, were 6.9 (95% CI 4.5-10.6), 7.6 (95% CI 5.5-10.5) and 9.5 (95% CI 3.7-24.1)/1000 person-years, respectively. The incidence rates of psychosis or panic attacks during current mefloquine exposure were 1.0/1000 person-years (95% CI 0.3-2.9) and 3.0/1000 person-years (95% CI 1.6-5.7), respectively, approximately 2-fold higher (statistically nonsignificant) than during current use of proguanil and/or chloroquine, or doxycycline. The nested case-control analysis encompassed 505 cases with depression and 3026 controls, 16 cases with psychosis and 96 controls, and 57 cases with a panic attack and 342 controls. Current use of mefloquine was not associated with an elevated risk of developing depression. In a comparison between patients currently using mefloquine with all past users of antimalarials combined, the risk estimate was elevated for current users of mefloquine for both psychosis (odds ratio [OR] 8.0, 95% CI 1.0-62.7; p < 0.05) and panic attacks (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1-6.5; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The absolute risk of developing psychosis or panic attack appears low with all the antimalarials tested. No evidence was found in this large observational study that mefloquine use increased the risk of first-time diagnosis of depression when compared with the use of other antimalarials investigated in this study.
PMID: 14756582 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Posted by Phillipa on May 28, 2008, at 11:41:27
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings, posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 9:15:05
Scott doxycycline was what they gave me for active lymes disease but it caused severe sunburn even for short periods outside and I tan don't burn. So they switched it to biaxin xl and one time before they gave it to me for only one night in the hospital for lymes and it caused twitching of the muscles of my legs. So the doc said do you feel better said no so again they stopped it. Doxycycline is used for many infections isn't it? Can't get into pub med. Thanks Phillipa
Posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 12:44:14
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings » SLS, posted by Phillipa on May 28, 2008, at 11:41:27
> Scott doxycycline was what they gave me for active lymes disease but it caused severe sunburn even for short periods outside and I tan don't burn. So they switched it to biaxin xl and one time before they gave it to me for only one night in the hospital for lymes and it caused twitching of the muscles of my legs. So the doc said do you feel better said no so again they stopped it. Doxycycline is used for many infections isn't it?
I believe so.
> Can't get into pub med.
Well, that sucks. Why not?
- Scott
Posted by bleauberry on May 28, 2008, at 15:19:52
In reply to Doxycycline and mood swings, posted by cactus on May 27, 2008, at 21:32:05
Doxycycline definitely affects the brain. No doubt about it. I felt it myself when on it a few weeks ago. 100mg/day for 3 weeks. The Marshall Protocol (an abstract pioneering treatment for FM and CFS based on resetting the immune system) uses minocycline, but for those who can't tolerate it doxycycline is mentioned. They warn though that doxyclince does affect the brain, where minocycline does not. They said that 200mg or higher of doxy can induce mild euphoria.
Anyway, I definitely had worsened depression on doxy. It is supposedly a rare side effect. Doc and pharmacist said all I might get is nausea, nothing psychiatric. Wrong. There was one day however when I swear I was in remission. I mean, I sat and watched a movie, thoroughly enjoyed it, laughed, talked, and just felt alive. It was awesome. But it was a one-day fluke.
The whole time on doxy I noticed I had more energy, more endurance, and it seemed like any chemical or food sensitivities I had just vanished away. It was pretty cool actually.
The darned worsened depression though. Dang. Oh, also, doxy gave me restless legs syndrome. Clear evidence it does something in the central nervous system. It also doubled the loudness of my ongoing tinnitus.
When I stopped doxy I went through a two day withdrawal period not unsimilar to withdrawing from cocaine, ritalin, or an antidepressant.
Doc wrote me a script for minocycline to replace doxy, saying it was tamer, but I was too gunshy to try it.
Posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 15:42:42
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings, posted by bleauberry on May 28, 2008, at 15:19:52
Bleauberry, I sure hope you find an answer soon.
You work too hard not to be rewarded with a treatment that brings you to remission. I said a heartfelt prayer for you.
- Scott
Posted by cactus on May 28, 2008, at 18:52:50
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings, posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 9:15:05
interesting that you mentioned Mefloquine (Larium), most countries don't prescribe it at all anymore. I know in Australia it's very rarely prescribed, no one in Asia will touch it and most of Europe steers clear of it too.
I was sent to Thailand for work about 13 years ago, there were 4 of us. I was on doxy and the others were on Larium. I met up with a friend studing at Bangkok University and she saw me taking my doxy one morning. She said that better be doxy because Larium sends people crazy. I smiled and said I know check out 2 of my colleagues. One had gone completely bonkers and the other was just a bit weirder than normal. She then went on to tell me about Larium and Asia, and how no one will touch it there due to the high incidence of psychosis.
Everyone I met was on doxy except for a lovely American couple I came across last week. I didn't say anything to them about it though as they seemed ok, but they had only taken one dose.
My GP is also a travel doctor, I told her I didn't want Larium, she laughed and said there was no way she'd give it to me because of my history but then went on to say that she never rx's it to anyone unless they can't tolerate doxy or are going into a doxy resilient area. C
Posted by James_Glasgow_UK on May 29, 2008, at 3:35:38
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings » SLS, posted by cactus on May 28, 2008, at 18:52:50
Hi
There was a big fuss in the UK some years back only a few months after Lariam / mefloquine hit the market. It was hailed as a miracle drug for malaria prophylaxis, but was found to be making people with no previous histroy of mental illness develop condtions from psychosis to panic attacks.
I have been on tetracyclines for a long time (in excess of 10 years) for acne mainly doxy and minocycline and I cant say either caused my mood to change but minocycline does make me very dizzy at times and doxycycline at higher doses 200mg per day and above caused me to get a painful prickly sensation in my skin the minute the sun came out.
James
Posted by Phillipa on May 30, 2008, at 12:07:58
In reply to Re: Doxycycline and mood swings » Phillipa, posted by SLS on May 28, 2008, at 12:44:14
Scott was under the impression that just not anyone could register there. But what I do know is that doxycycline finds those hiding spirochettes that hide in body tissue and come out and cause organ damage when stress is right. Funny how the hasimotos appeared at the same time as the lymes. Which by the way Western Blot is still positive for antibodies. Will always be positive is what I was told and the Infectious Disease organizataion forget the name has stopped docs from giving long term antibiotics for lymes and a doc here in NC was on trial for using antibiotics long term but he cured many people. He's allowed to continue practicing but no insurance is allowed. Love Phillipa
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