Beginning treatment mycobacterium intracellulare in 2 days

Posted by bevmac @bevmac, Feb 1, 2019

I have just found this site while trawling the net. I am beginning on Monday with 3 drugs. And I have been wondering if I can escape the side effects or not. Reading through different comments it seems not likely. I come from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

Hello, Bevmac, I'm not sure if you can truly "escape" all the side effects of medication, but there are a number of things you can do to minimize them. First, realize this is a strong drug therapy, and most likely your body will react in some way(s), so be kind to yourself, get extra rest, avoid sick people, eat healthy food, promptly report serious side effects to your doctor. Also get regular tests of your vision, liver function, hearing and whatever else your doctor recommends (mine tests kidneys & for anemia as well). To minimize the effects of the meds on my system, I have found the following helpful: good probiotic daily, yogurt with live cultures (mine goes in my smoothie), drinking ginger tea or ginger ale with actual ginger bits in it. In addition, I had to modify my regime to take all the meds in the evening with a small snack (too much nausea for me if taken during the day or on an empty stomach). I also eat a fairly bland evening meal on med days. I found the bronch, the infection or the meds have been causing significant weight loss, so I have upped my intake of calories with real cream & powdered instant breakfast in my coffee, full-fat yogurt, cheese, etc, more red meat, extra sauces & salad dressings, avocado & protein powder in my smoothie at lunch in addition to fruit & yogurt... Come back to the group with any questions - lots of experience & helpful people here.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.