NEWS: Can Claritin help cure Lyme disease?
New research suggests that a common allergy medication may be effective in starving and killing the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
Press release from Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Feb 10, 2015
A new study funded by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation and conducted by Stanford School of Medicine researchers shows that loratadine, which is a common antihistamine frequently taken to treat allergy symptoms, may be able to help kill Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria associated with Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating condition with 300,000 new cases in the US each year. The study was published in the Open Access publication Drug Design, Development and Therapy.
“Our results bring us closer to the possibility of discovering the first targeted therapy to treat Lyme disease,” says Jayakumar Rajadas, PhD, Director, Biomaterials and Advanced Drug Delivery Lab (BioADD), Stanford School of Medicine, and lead author of the study. “It’s exciting to see first-hand that our insights into the metabolic activity of this elusive bacteria may give us the ability to actually kill it.”
The results of this new laboratory study show that loratadine (trade name: Claritin®) and specifically its metabolite, desloratadine, are able to prevent manganese (Mn) from entering the cell wall of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, starving the bacteria and causing it to die in test tubes. The antihistamine accomplishes this by inhibiting the bacteria’s transport system, BmtA (Borrelia metal transporter A).
Manganese is required for certain metabolic processes of Borrelia burgdorferi and also plays an important role in numerous biological processes in the human body. Previous research shows that in general, bacteria scavenge the body for trace metals that circulate in the blood and have developed special adaptations on their cell walls to internalize these metals. These adaptations are called transport proteins, and BmtA is the specialized transport protein for Borrelia burgdorferi. BmtA binds with manganese to bring it into the bacteria, and studies have shown that BmtA and manganese are required to make the bacteria harmful to the human body[i]
“Because current treatments do not work for everyone and the bacteria that causes Lyme disease offers many treatment challenges, this study offers encouraging insights for researchers, and hope for the 80 million Americans at risk of getting Lyme disease,” Bonnie Crater, founder and Science Committee Chairperson, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the leading private funder of innovative Lyme disease research in the US. “We are grateful to the BioADD team for their commitment to finding solutions to this difficult disease.”
Currently, patients with Lyme disease are typically prescribed a 2–4 week course of antibiotics, but approximately 10 to 20% of patients treated with this regimen will have lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches[ii].
About Lyme Disease
Increasing in threat due to rising prevalence across the US, Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets. If caught early, most cases of Lyme disease can be effectively treated, but it is commonly misdiagnosed due to lack of awareness and unreliable diagnostic tests. There are about 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year, 10 times more than previously reported, according to statistics released in 2013 by the CDC. As a result of the difficulty in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, as many as one million Americans may be suffering from the impact of its debilitating long-term symptoms and complications, according to Bay Area Lyme Foundation estimates.
[i] Ouyang Z et al: A manganese transporter, BB0219 (BmtA), is required for virulence by the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Mar 3;106(9):3449-54.. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19218460
[ii] Wormser GP, et al.: Duration of antibiotic therapy for early Lyme disease. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2003 May 6;138(9):697-704. and http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postLDS/
SOURCE Bay Area Lyme Foundation
I can’t think of to many things I’d like to see starve to death, with the exception of Lyme disease!
It is a nice image, isn’t it. 🙂
What dosage of Claritin was used in the study?
You can read the study here:
http://www.dovepress.com/borreliacidal-activity-of-borrelia-metal-transporter-a-bmta-binding-sm-peer-reviewed-article-DDDT
This may be the most hopeful news I’ve heard in years. Kudos to Stanford and the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. I wonder if the Lyme deniers will even have any interest in this. To them, there is no bacteria left to kill!
So glad to hear this!!!! Any chance it would work on Babesia and other tick-borne diseases, as well?
When will this treatment be made available? I would really like to try it. I have Lyme for many years and though some things have helped it still persists.
Claritin is an over the counter allergy medication. You should already have access to it.
Thank you for your update, I was bitten by a tick, didn’t know I had until couple of days later, had to North Shore Hospital to get it removed, it had burrowed in. The tick was killed by Denorub but unable to remove without breaking it up. That was about 4 months ago, I live in Forestville NSW. since then I become excessively tired, feel that walking is starting to be affected, feel like I can’t carry my own weight, breathing is hard at times ie bending down to pick something up and y joints ache like I had the flu. Polaramine doesn’t have that ingredient. The doctor doesn’t believe we have a problem with ticks so I am wondering if I tried the Australian version of Clarantine, it might help?
Bev, research into claritin for Lyme treatment is in very early stage. Hasn’t been tried on humans yet.
Bev, You need to find another Doctor this must be treated. Is your Doctor an infectious disease specialist? Lyme is all over the world. Fire that awful Doctor. Please get help
you are in an awful downturn.
Great News! but what is the recommended dosage/duration for Claritin?
There is no recommended dosage/duration for Claritin at this time. This is very preliminary research, in a test tube, not in people. Researchers used a substantially larger dose than a human could tolerate. Nothing is known about what effect this would have on a human case of Lyme. So, while the research is certainly intriguing, I would not grab at this as the reason to go buy out your local drug store’s supply of Claritin. –editor
Thanks for saying what I was thinking. A test tube is a totally different environment where manganese availability would have greater limits than human body. But it’s a good start though.
This is definitely a different kind of news to read about Claritin! All I’ve heard about Claritin is that it’s an H1 blocker for histamine. I took it for around 2 months recently for bodywide itching which has been going on for 3 months now, and it’s not doing anything for the itching, nor seemingly causing any other reaction either – so it’s been a pretty neutral experience for me.
Which makes me wonder about something – I know someone with Lyme who can’t get enough of manganese – like takes it by the bottlefull! And me, I couldn’t care less. So I’m wondering whether we’re dealing with different strains here, where some have a strain that goes after manganese and other strains don’t?
Robin… I want to let you know about about an over the counter drug for your itching problem.. I have severe angioedema and urticaria (hives). The one thing that will stop it completely is Allegra. It is the only anti histamine with it’s own exclusive ingredient
(fexofenadine). It is the ONLY antihistamine that works for me. You might try this.
Claudia, I’m sitting here scratching my arms with blood running out. I’m on Claritin, chlortrimeton, ranitidine (H2 blocker) and atarax. I am going straight to the nearest drugstore for Allegra. Thanks. Do you know if the itching is from Lyme or another TBD? Martha
Research article just published
http://www.dovepress.com/borreliacidal-activity-of-borrelia-metal-transporter-a-bmta-binding-sm-peer-reviewed-article-DDDT
This is potentially very exciting news ! Congratulations to the efforts of the researchers -Keep it up !
Barbara. It doesn’t work. I’ve taken it for 15+ years-daily.
I wonder at what dosage? And is it only helping with symptoms in new and chronic patients or actually giving a remisson ?
That is great they are still looking for ways to treat this horrible disease. I wonder if they tried this with Bartonella and some of the main co-infections that exist with Lyme.
It would be a major coincidence if completely unrelated critters like Babesia and Bartonella organisms happened to use a sufficiently similar Mn transport system, which is what would be necessary for Claritin to cause them harm as well.
Thank you all at Stanford for researching Lyme disease. All Lyme patients
All over the world say THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. WE DONT HAVE MANY
ENTITIES THAT CARE#!GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU.
Given the ability of Bb and other spirochetes to change form when in an inhospitable environ….and given their long reproductive cycle as opposed to xyz bacteria….makes me wonder. But I will keep my skeptical fingers crossed anyway.
This is great news! Sorry I can’t wait for research, I am going to try it soon.
In Missouri, Chronic Lyme is a psychosomatic illness- I refer to myself as a Lyme Looney. If this works it sure beats going to Mexico to get medicine.
Lymies have compromised liver function. Look on the contraindications for Claritin. I can hardly function with the headaches and cursed liver dysfunction that I have ongoing now. I feel as though this protocol, if it works at all ( I pray it does for those who are early coming in to this nightmare) is only going to work for people who have just been diagnosed with the disease, rather than helping those of us who have been suffering for decades while the medical community has labeled us all with everything from CFS to hypochondriacs. The antibiotics made everythimg worse. I won’t be running to the shelves for Claritin so what is left of my liver can be destroyed. However, if all the rest of you are going to grab it up, get it now before ‘they’ change the formula. Yes, being disregarded by the medical community and treated like an non-entity, does make one a bit paranoid.
Have you tried taking Milk Thistle to help your liver function? I have taken it for many years, and at one time, was on Methotrexate, which harms the liver, and even consumed alcohol. My liver tests always came back fine.
The role of antimicrobials, beta lactams in particular, to induce microbes to produce L-forms as “persisters” (Rene Dubos) seen as “resistant” to treatment is ignored/suppressed. Evolving L-forms sensitive to different substances at different stages of growth can require a sustained titre value of multiple substances for effective treatment. Lack of government (UK, USA) and drug company interest may be due to fear of being held responsible for penicillin (beta lactam) L-form variant disease(s), e.g., AIDS (Luc Montagnier, Nobel Prize for identifying AIDS virus, said “mycoplasma is a better candidate because it is everywhere”.)
Verify all this information on the internet; and, if co-infected with Bartonella by simple conventional study: Drug history, exposure to beta lactams? FIRST drop of blood from a fingertip puncture (Bartonella live in the adventitial cells surrounding the subcutaneous capillaries), draw film, ethanol fix, do NOT stain (Bartonella are purple) reduce microscope light to see red of blood and purple forms – not dismiss as thick cell walls, stain particles or artifacts (D Weinman, The Bartonella Group, Bacterial and Mycotic Infections of Man, Rockefeller Institute, depictions show adherent to blood cells and blocking a vein).
Vera P Mursic, Infection 24(1996)215-226: Formation and Cultivation of Borrelia burgdorferi Speroplast-L-form Variants, shows penicillin (all beta lactams) induce production of L-forms, variant mycoplasma. ONE microbe to MANY L-forms with potential to evolve to MANY original and variant forms, to escalate infection and continuing depletion of nutrients* essential to host health (immune function) and for parasite cell wall synthesis (continuing replication as cell wall-less forms – mycoplasma). Bartonella species cause clinically relevant co-infections (reported in Lyme Disease) that are resistant to treatment.
John T Sharp, 1968, Baylor University College of Medicine, Isolation of L-forms of
Bartonella bacilliformis, showed penicillin induced production of L-forms. (Pizarro brought B bacilliformis out of the Andes in 1530 (established Spanish trade colonies) as do travelers (reported) today.) A pure culture of Bartonella henselae revived aerobically at 27 centigrade (Noguchi and Battistini, Rockefeller Institute, 1920) and with CO2 at 37 centigrade (post 1970 protocol), but on CLED, respectively showed hazy translucent growth of Bartonella bacilliformis and white “cauliflower” of Bartonella henselae. (B Nysted, Uppsala University, Sweden, on Evolutionary Processes and Genome Dynamics of Host Adapted Bacteria, (Bartonella).)
* Microbes can give rise to symptoms of disease when they disintegrate to release lipid bound sequestered substances. Symptoms caused by depletion of nutrients can be relieved by supplements (steroids support sterol dependent mycoplasma) that can have an adverse effect as they also support pathogens.
Interesting. I have been on 10 mg of claritin for years and get a terrible headache without it. But I am still very ill from Lyme. Maybe bigger doses are needed.
This sound very hopeful. I am so fed up of using MMS and dMSO or spending a fortune on herbs, coconut oil and garlic capsules and still getting cravings for chocolate because the little buggers feed off me.
Sue
Well, the science of this is indeed very interesting, but I don’t understand why my fellow sufferers are excited about Claritin as a treatment for actual patients. This is an IN VITRO study, which means “in the test tube”. What kind of consequences would there be to taking an enormous quantity of this drug?? Likely it would cause harm. Give me a test tube of borrelia and I might be able to kill it with any number of substances: chlorine bleach? Used motor oil? Obviously ‘in vitro’ is a far, far cry from treatment.
If Claritin at normal therapeutic doses for allergies (10 mg per day?) had any effect I would have been cured of this disease years ago! I take it 8 or 9 months of the year. And yes, as another poster commented, like many drugs it’s going to put more strain on your liver at the very least, even at this dose.
We are so desperate for a cure, so many of us are willing to try out-of-the-mainstream treatments (I go to an herbalist as well as an LLMD, for example) but there has to be some Reason or common sense or we will damage the very body we are trying to cure.
Lyme’s spirochetes can hide anywhere in the body where blood doesn’t flow, so in many instances it doesn’t matter what you take, the medicine can’t get to all of it which allows it to continually multiply. There’s also a biofilm that antibiotics can’t get through where spirochetes hide. This is know as antibiotic resistant, but I don’t think our antibiotics are the cause. This stuff’s been around for thousands of years. Also, for doctor’s to even imply that there are lingering symptoms is ridiculous. The disease is still there and attempts at obliterating it includes addressing other infections that the fall under the Lyme disease umbrella including babesia which attacks the red blood cells, eurlichia which attacks the white blood cells, and a number of others which put the immune system through a storm preventing improvement and causing many more complications, particularly if these, known as co-infections are not addressed. The captcha code keeps getting rejected while trying to post this.
Deficiency Symptoms of. manganese
Manganese is involved in many different biochemical processes and can, therefore, adversely affect a number of systems throughout the body. Low levels of manganese in the body can result in impaired glucose tolerance, altered carbohydrate and fat metabolism, skeletal abnormalities, bone demineralization and malformation, stunted growth, decreased serum cholesterol levels, skin rash and elevated blood calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels. In addition, manganese deficiencies can result in infertility, seizures, weakness, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, hearing loss, iron-deficiency anemia, weak hair and nails and convulsions, blindness or paralysis in infants.
I for one will not be working myself up to a deficiency in manganese. I am one of the most open minded willing to do whatever it takes people, but I have learned from experience that some things can really affect you for the worse.
Chronic Victims like me, should be careful, I would not run and get this so called test tube only cure…..Why not try garlic oil or ceder oil or Samento, or Banderal, or other herbs in the tube? It is great news…but LOTS MUCH MORE is needed, what about that lizard that don’t get Lyme and any ticks on it become clear of the disease?
Hi: Was diagnosed with Lyme disease (chronic) about 8 years ago. figure I was bitten when doing wilderness backpacking as a teen and didn’t know it. I started getting sick about at about 17 years. I am now 59! At the time of diagnosis I still had live bacteria in my system, was treated with IV and oral antibiotics for about 4 months. Now just have the toxins. But have lived with the effects for decades. I have been taking loratadine 10 mg per day for about 3 years now. some of my symptoms have abated starting about 10 days after my first dose. If I go more than about a week, I note some of them returning. I started the loratidine as a symptom relief for Fibromyalgia, which I also have. Additionally I have Chronic Fatigue and Mayfascial Pain syndrome.. Symptoms from these seem to overlap, so I guess I can’t say exactly if the loratidine is helping the Lyme directly, I just know that some of my symptoms are actually gone when I take this. You can;t really take more than 10mg per day as it will mess up your system and have adverse effects from taking so much. I actually take Wal-greens store brand as it was most effective of the antihismines for me. So you may want to try one for a while, and if that brand or trade version doesn’t work, try another before writing it off… I’m an RN and have found a Dr who allows and supports me “treating” myself giving me the opportunity to try a variety of treatments, prescription or otherwise. I use a number of herbs that also help mitigate some of my symptoms. Nothing is 100% and the older I get the more tired overall I get. Take it from someone who has lived with these chronic conditions for most of her life (fibro since I was 4 years they think), they are debilitating both physically and psychologically. Develop a good support system. I don’t have one. I am alone. That is very difficult.
I was taking 20 mg claritin for quite a while and just switched to zyrtec about a month ago. I didn’t realize why my headaches had come back until I read this article. My liver enzymes were fine when taking it. I took it at bed time and seemed to be fine. I think my Dr. even said it would be okay, but don’t quote me.
Judy, I will remember you in my prayers. Are you in the states? You are blessed with a good Dr. Are you able to work as a nurse? I know the feeling of being alone. How about joining the Lyme groups on Facebook. I have Fibro, CFS, MCS, Myofascial pain, & possible Lyme. What test finally diagnosed you?
Judy dear, Don’t you realize that the FMS and CFS are from the TBD’s. Someone who was/is ignorant about TBD’s came up with these syndromes. Or possibly did it to make more $ from treating only symptoms for our whole lives???
Very interesting! I had a good dose of Lyme with multiple symptoms which took about 2 years to clear up. During the illness, I was prescribed Claritin for allergic reactions to non-Lyme related meds. I can’t verifiy whether Claritin did it or not, but I have not had Lyme symptoms for quite some time – years. I take Claritin daily and have done so for about 3 years. To my knowledge, I have not had any negative reactions to Claritin. However, I am working with a health center to get off meds entirely through diet and nutrition.
Wishing all those still suffering all the best in beating Lyme.
Does Claratin reach the brain. I just recently heard from a scientist that abx don’t reach the brain barrier. It seems 9 months of IV were all for nothing.
Grace, research into the ingredients in Claritin is very preliminary. Researchers have only looked at it in test tubes–not in people.
I am a PhD biochemist with experience in immunology, parasitology, and toxicology. The action of des-loratine (to which plain loratidine is rapidly metabolised by the liver) was first reported in ~1999, but not followed up.
First and most important, do NOT start taking large doses of loratidine (e.g., Clarityn) or des-Loratidine (e.g., neo-Claritin). Overdoses seriously affect the heart and can kill you.
The des-loratidine molecule is is hydrophilic and very little crosses the blood-brain barrier; this is why it does not cause drowsiness. It is unlikely that loratidine will affect Borrelia in the brain, whatever the form of the bacteria.
Iron was believed to be essential for all living organisms, is is a component in key enzymes (proteins with catalytic activities), Borrelia – which may have existed for at least 40 million years – has evolved a unique strategy by replacing the iron with manganese. Borrelia is the only known living organism that does not use iron, so it is unlikely that loratidine will have a similar effect on any other infection. Free iron concentration in the body is extremely low; a serum protein called transferrin binds iron very, very tightly; this is a key defense against bacterial infections. Only those (other than Borrelia, as far as is known) that have evolved a strategy to obtain iron can infect you.
I would like to add this…..I was in a Lyme support group about 10 yrs ago, my first one. There were about 20 people there. (North Central Pa.) There was one Lyme sufferer who mentioned he takes 1 or 2 Claritin every morning. And that really helped his Lyme fog. He didn’t know why, it just helped. Now I do not know how long he took it or how much it helped in the end. But he discovered by accident because of course he had a cold etc. at the time he realized the Clarritin was doing something good. Remember, that was 10 yrs ago. And my family Doctor just told me to take Claritin as well, but didnt say why. I didnt ask, because I already knew about it.
In 1989, after 1 1/2 years of being bedridden, I was tested for Lyme by CDC approved ELISA and Western Blot. They were positive. I have taken Claritin since it first came on the market, and for the past 15 years, at least, every day. I still have Lyme.