MAC help, ! drug fevers?? Suggestions ? ?

[CysticlyFIT]

Hi everyone,

Well, I got diagnosed withmycobacterium a. complex about a month ago and started treatment for it only 9 days ago...

I got the drug cocktail of mycobutin, ethambutol, and clarithromycin,

Everything was going actaully well, my cough was getting better, feeling a little better.
Then this past friday I started getting low grade fevers around the clock, day & night, -99-100,wasn't eating much, felt bad, was getting chils.
I called the dr on that day, first he said maybe it was staph overwhelimg the MAC and wanted another abx.

Then last night I spiked a really bad to 103.5 during the night,had to take something, ibuprofen, x2, cool myself down, I drink tons of fluids, and never really went down right, stayed to 100.-101,
I called my doctor again, he said it may be drug fevers so He took me off the two, clarthro, and mycobu, after nly 9 days.
I am now keeping tabs on my temps, and taking tylonal every 4-6 hrs til the until the abx are out my system.
Its not a virus either, cold/ flu thing, or anything else I can rule out,

The weird thing is my sugars have been running very well, and my mucos has thinned alot since starting, so these drugs were working, but its seems my immune system doesnt ike them, <img title="Yell" src="include/wysiwyg/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-yell.gif" alt="Yell" border="0" />
And he wants me now to see an infectious disease dr.
Well, my question is what can infectious disease dr do??
Can theydesensitize you so you stop having fevers?
Thanks 4 any replys.....

 

[CysticlyFIT]

Hi everyone,

Well, I got diagnosed withmycobacterium a. complex about a month ago and started treatment for it only 9 days ago...

I got the drug cocktail of mycobutin, ethambutol, and clarithromycin,

Everything was going actaully well, my cough was getting better, feeling a little better.
Then this past friday I started getting low grade fevers around the clock, day & night, -99-100,wasn't eating much, felt bad, was getting chils.
I called the dr on that day, first he said maybe it was staph overwhelimg the MAC and wanted another abx.

Then last night I spiked a really bad to 103.5 during the night,had to take something, ibuprofen, x2, cool myself down, I drink tons of fluids, and never really went down right, stayed to 100.-101,
I called my doctor again, he said it may be drug fevers so He took me off the two, clarthro, and mycobu, after nly 9 days.
I am now keeping tabs on my temps, and taking tylonal every 4-6 hrs til the until the abx are out my system.
Its not a virus either, cold/ flu thing, or anything else I can rule out,

The weird thing is my sugars have been running very well, and my mucos has thinned alot since starting, so these drugs were working, but its seems my immune system doesnt ike them, <img title="Yell" src="include/wysiwyg/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-yell.gif" alt="Yell" border="0" />
And he wants me now to see an infectious disease dr.
Well, my question is what can infectious disease dr do??
Can theydesensitize you so you stop having fevers?
Thanks 4 any replys.....

 

[franzie2984]

One or two points: MAC is a slow growing bacteria and it actually takes quite a bit of time for the antibiotics to work on it. I do not think you would feel better instantly, so perhaps that cough was due to another bacteria that the MAC drugs just happened to work on? Typically people on MAC medications still feel bad for awhile after beginning their treatments.

Rifampin gave me fevers as well but only low grade (Mycobutin/Rifabutin is a similar drug I believe but I was told side effects are worse for that). If your fevers cease, then clearly it was one of the drugs. You will just have to wait and see.

Usually the doctor would take a sputum sample and send it out for sensitivities (takes a long time 10 weeks or so). After this they are able to give you specific medications tailored for your bacteria. An infectious disease doctor would likely just be more knowledgeable about options and side effects because they often work with TB and NTM patients. Basically they would just give you better drug options.

I refused to take Rifampin/Mycobutin, which doctors will sometimes be okay with, but they tend to keep you on Ethambutol no matter what. I took Ethambutol, Azithromycin, and Avelox (8-9 months) and now am just taking Avelox and Clarithromycin for maintenance. If you cant take Clarithromycin then Azithromycin is similar and sometimes given instead. If one drug is causing fevers I would bet on the Mycobutin.

 

[franzie2984]

One or two points: MAC is a slow growing bacteria and it actually takes quite a bit of time for the antibiotics to work on it. I do not think you would feel better instantly, so perhaps that cough was due to another bacteria that the MAC drugs just happened to work on? Typically people on MAC medications still feel bad for awhile after beginning their treatments.

Rifampin gave me fevers as well but only low grade (Mycobutin/Rifabutin is a similar drug I believe but I was told side effects are worse for that). If your fevers cease, then clearly it was one of the drugs. You will just have to wait and see.

Usually the doctor would take a sputum sample and send it out for sensitivities (takes a long time 10 weeks or so). After this they are able to give you specific medications tailored for your bacteria. An infectious disease doctor would likely just be more knowledgeable about options and side effects because they often work with TB and NTM patients. Basically they would just give you better drug options.

I refused to take Rifampin/Mycobutin, which doctors will sometimes be okay with, but they tend to keep you on Ethambutol no matter what. I took Ethambutol, Azithromycin, and Avelox (8-9 months) and now am just taking Avelox and Clarithromycin for maintenance. If you cant take Clarithromycin then Azithromycin is similar and sometimes given instead. If one drug is causing fevers I would bet on the Mycobutin.