A deep dive into learning about psychiatric Lyme
Guest post by Dr. Jane Marke, MD
Patients dealing with Lyme suffer neuro-psychiatric complications that are related directly to the illness, as well as to the emotional challenges and lack of support which often accompany infection with this insidious bacteria.
Patients with Lyme and related tick-borne diseases can have symptoms which mimic every known psychiatric syndrome. The most common symptom is cognitive difficulties or “brain fog.” But also very common is anxiety, sometimes with panic attacks or a feeling of not being quite “real.” This is incredibly distressing and difficult to describe. Other problems are irritability, sleep disorders, and mood swings. Some patients develop symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. The range of symptoms is broad.
Just as it does with physical symptoms, Lyme and tick-borne disease can mimic any psychiatric illness, so physicians need to be aware of this possibility.
Treatment aimed directly at symptoms can relieve suffering quickly and shouldn’t be shunned. But antibiotics are needed to undermine the root cause of the illness–the bacteria that causes Lyme, or the co-infections that accompany it.
Tick-borne disease has become recognized as a cause of “treatment-resistant” psychiatric disorders. This is accepted enough that the New York County District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association invited me, as a psychiatrist familiar with Lyme disease, to give a lecture to psychiatrists in November 2016.
The hour-long presentation is technical, but may be of interest to some patients, as many patients become deeply self-educated about this illness and take the deep dive into the learning about the illness. If you’re one of these patients or a health-care professional, the entire lecture may speak to you. If you only want to know about psychiatric symptoms associated with Lyme, skip to around minute 28.
Jane Marke, MD, practices psychiatry and psychotherapy in New York City. Click here for her website.
could you tell them that at id hudson forensic psychiatric center?
yes I agree there is a severe problem in neuro psychiatric lyme. how do you convince such a patient to get help?
what help is there?
Not a very dynamic speaker, but she sure knows her stuff.
Wait, under treatment she recommends low-dose Naltrexone, but that is psychiatric; how can the patient alleviate the very real pain symptoms of the synonymous Lyme arthritis while taking Naltrexone? Esp for patients where Tylenol doesn’t cut it…
Are there any effective herbal treatments for lyme disease?
My daughter has been on a variety of abx, herbals, probiotics, vitamins/nutrients, fatty acids, anti-inflammatories, anti-parasitics and anti-fungals, detox. This well-rounded regimen is what is healing her. It all started at age 9 and she is now 11 and 95% better (but it took a year to correctly dx and start tx). She has a dx of PANDAS/PANS, lyme, bartonella, babesia, erlichia, mycoplasma, MARCoNS. The herbals that have been part of her regimen include the tinctures: Borrelogen, MC-BAR 1 and 2, Quintessance, BLT and IMN-GI. Most are from Beyond Balance I believe. At the very beginning she tried Samento and Banderol but those alone did not seem to really help.
Yes. Stephen Harrod Buhner has published extensively on the subject. All of his recommendations are evidence based, and the bibliography lists the reputable studies upon which he bases his protocol. His Lyme book and the co-infection books are avail. at Amazon.Many LLMD’s refer to his studies and recommendations.
Good luck.
So why aren’t psychiatrists being made aware of this?
Looking for professional assistance in the sacramento/ northern California area. Willing to travel if needed!
I am a 78 y.o. white female who has suffered from severe fatigue for several years. I have had degenerative disc disease and other back problems. In February 2016 I had a hip replacement, in April 2016, I had a hypothalamus stroke with no residual deficits. Physicians at the stroke facility diagnosed my stroke as age related since I had no risk factors other than excess weight. After continued complaints of extreme fatigue and visits to a neurologist and cardiologist with no success in resolving the problem, my nurse practitioner ran tests for Lyme Disease. The results were positive. That was July 10, 2017. Doxycycline caused gastrointestinal problems so I took Amoxicillin for 3 weeks. In addition to extreme fatigue, I suffered severe burning sensations in my abdominal area, headaches, chills and night sweats. I also have had frequent bladder infections. I have severe arthritis in my neck which started becoming very painful in June 2016. I have very little appetite and have lost about 25 lbs since mid July. I feel nauseated right after I eat but it gradually y subsides.
Aside from the chills, the other signs and symptoms I had before I took the amoxicillin continue but are not as incapacitating. At one point, prior to antibiotic treatment, I could hardly get out of bed. Where do I go from here? Should I try to find a specialist? According to what I have read all my signs and symptoms are consistent with Lyme Disease.