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J. Mc
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Posted: Sun Nov 15th, 2009 08:30 |
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| I have been reading up on the MP over the past week and have made an appointment with a doctor I got from the provided list. I understand that Benicar is to be taken every 6-8 hours for a total of 3-4 doses a day. I generally sleep 12 hours a night. Can I take Benicar when I wake up, six hours later, and right before bed? This would mean 12 hours without Benicar, a dose, another dose 6 hours later, another dose 6 hours later, 12 hours without Benicar, etc. The other option would be having to wake up in the middle of the night to take Benicar. I already have to take meds to fall asleep and might not be able to fall back asleep if woken up in the middle of the night.
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J. Mc
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Posted: Sun Nov 15th, 2009 08:37 |
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| If you have been taking Vitamin D supplements, how long will it take for your D levels to return to a normal baseline for your body? The essential question here is really: How long should one wait to test Vitamin D levels after discontinuing Vitamin D supplements?
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Cynthia Schnitz
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Posted: Sun Nov 15th, 2009 15:39 |
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Hi J. I am not a moderator, and I am sure one will be along soon to answer your question about your sleep period, but from my experience, I am sure the answer will be no. 8 hours is pushing it. I have had many times when at 5 hours and 55 minutes I notice the IP increasing, and when I had a heightened IP, I would get increasing IP at 3 hours and 55 minutes (when I moved for a week to 4 hour Beni). I started out setting my alarm for 8 fours when I went to bed. In the end my bladder was the best alarm, and I stopped using a mechanical/digital one. I find tho, when my bladder is behaving, that habit wakes me at 5-6 hours, and I reach over and take my Beni, then roll over and go back to sleep with out any problem. It is usually the trip to the bathroom that really wakes me up and I have trouble going back to sleep. I tried using a vibrating alarm strapped to my wrist so as not to wake my significant other, but found it was noisy enough I did not have to wear it.
I hope you have actually talked to the doctor's receptionist about the doctor's view of the MP, if he/she has patients on the MP, if he would be happy to have another, and even if the doctor is on the MP his/herself. A few doctors wound up on the list that were actually not that interested in the MP. Cynthia
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MP start 10/08 (no breaks) | Spondylitis 97, early Diverticulosis 98, early AMD 08, Calcium anomaly 95, TypeII Diabetes(?) 02 | 25D=10.1ng/ml 12/12, (preMP 125D/25D=47/43) | My progress
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Cynthia Schnitz
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Posted: Sun Nov 15th, 2009 15:45 |
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| From my observations, most people on the MP test every 2 to 3 months while waiting for their D to come down, then less often when under the required 12 ng/ml. Cynthia
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MP start 10/08 (no breaks) | Spondylitis 97, early Diverticulosis 98, early AMD 08, Calcium anomaly 95, TypeII Diabetes(?) 02 | 25D=10.1ng/ml 12/12, (preMP 125D/25D=47/43) | My progress
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J. Mc
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Posted: Tue Nov 17th, 2009 19:20 |
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| Thanks for your time, Cynthia. The doctor I made an appointment with is someone I actually saw earlier this year for non-MP reasons. My mother saw him too. I hadn't followed up yet because (as I'm sure anyone chronically ill can understand) you get busy tracking down leads, seeing specialists, etc. My mother has followed up, however, and spoke with him briefly about the MP at the end of her recent visit. He hasn't had many patients that have done it, but he's certainly willing to oversee patients who do.
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Chris
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Posted: Tue Nov 17th, 2009 23:34 |
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This would mean 12 hours without Benicar,
My experience is the same as Cynthias, the herx won't let you sleep that long. And if you do something to extend the sleep time, you can wake up feeling miserable. When the herx is high, you don't want to go that long as you lose the protective effects of Benicar on your kidneys et. al.
Some folks have gone to compounding pharmacies to get Benicar/olmesartan in a time release form for just this problem. One mentioned by a MP user is Yetvart in Montreal. I've never tried this myself.
-Chris
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sarcoid since 1983 (or much earlier), MP since summer 2004 Chris' story
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eClaire
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Posted: Wed Nov 18th, 2009 04:08 |
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The new Phase 1 guidelines say q6h as a minimum.
I have a similar experience as everyone else. I'm currently taking Benicar q4h because I need the organ protection, and if I try to stretch it out to 5 hours, I am usually awake at 4.5 hours. It's important, however, to set an alarm and a back up if you tend to shut it off and go back to sleep without taking your meds. I use my cell phone as a back up in the middle of the night... it goes off two minutes after my regular alarm.
If you are sleep 12 hours a night, I suspect you'll get back to sleep unless insomnia becomes IP for you.
Claire
Last edited on Wed Nov 18th, 2009 04:09 by eClaire
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42mo on MP; CFS FMS MCS COPD hypermob. IBS/GERD osteopor.; 125D48 25D<4;
NoIRs during most daylight outings;
Ph1.Dec06 * ModPh2.Jun07 * AbxBrk.Mar-May08 * Ph2.Oct-Nov08 * Ph1.Jan2009 * Olm.alone.Jun10
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J. Mc
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Posted: Wed Nov 18th, 2009 19:04 |
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| Insomnia is already a huge issue. I need meds to fall asleep and often can't get back to sleep if I'm disturbed. It's just that I'm not fully rested without 12 hours. I'm a zombie after getting only 9 hours of sleep for 2-3 days in a row.
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paulalbert
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Posted: Wed Nov 18th, 2009 22:31 |
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Here's the KB page on dosing Benicar in case anything is helpful here:
http://mpkb.org/doku.php/home:mp:mpmeds:olmesartan:dosing
I had insomnia too. I got to the point where I my body would crave the anti-inflammatory relief Benicar would offer and I would wake up in the middle of the night and take more.
Paul
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paulalbert
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Posted: Thu Nov 19th, 2009 02:48 |
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Check this out, JMc:
http://mpkb.org/doku.php/home:tests:25d#expected_rate_of_decline_in_25-d
Paul
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J. Mc
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Posted: Fri Nov 27th, 2009 06:16 |
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| Hi. I am fairly new to this, and I'm not on the protocol yet. Along with diagnoses of CFS/FMS/Lyme, I also have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This is a complex metabolic/endocrine/reproductive disorder that affects women of child-bearing age. It often leads to Type II Diabetes. I take the drug metformin to manage my PCOS, and it is contraindicated on the MP. From searches I've done it seems like there are patients posting on here who take metformin. I'd like to know more about this. How are patients with PCOS and diabetes supposed to manage these conditions while on the MP? Lifestyle adjustments are not always enough, and they are not always completely possible for people who are quite sick. I'm at the point where I'm still trying to digest all of this information. I want to do what is best for my body, and I worry about letting the PCOS go untreated and it turning into diabetes early in my life. I'm only 27 and have been sick for nearly 12 years. It is also unhealthy for other reasons not to manage the PCOS in the best way I can, such as an increase in risk for a number of cancers, cardiac disease, and the mental/emotional toll. So, what is the advice for metformin patients? How do those of you on the MP deal with your PCOS or diabetes? Thank you. -Julie
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J. Mc
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Posted: Fri Nov 27th, 2009 21:04 |
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| Hi. I searched for Afrin (I didn't see it on the list of contraindicated meds) and found one response that suggested using it for an ear issue, so I'm thinking it's okay on the MP. I use it it alternating nostrils every night because my sinusitis becomes unbearable and prevents breathing through my nose completely at night. I'm sorry if this seems like a pestering question, but I want to be armed with as much info about my particular issues when I go see my MP doctor for the first time.
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Joyful
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Posted: Sat Nov 28th, 2009 00:09 |
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Hi Julie. Welcome to the 'learning curve' of the MP. 
I'm glad you are looking up information and asking questions. The more information you start with, the more confident you will be when dealing with your healing journey.
The best place to start is to look for articles in the MP knowledge base (http://mpkb.org) that explain how all of the various names for these chronic diseases actually create unnecessary confusion.
CFS/FMS/Lyme/PCOS, Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiac Disease, Mental/Emotional symptoms, even Cancer have all been improved and/or reversed for various persons using the MP to address the underlying issue, that is, unresolved infection by what we are calling metagenomic microbiota.
If you have symptoms that are intolerable without a palliative medication, you are encouraged to commence the Benicar before attempting to wean from it. (Unless it is something that absolutely cannot be used while on the MP, such as some antibiotics.)
The most important thing is to research this treatment so thoroughly--before you start--that you can handle what ever symptom you revisit during the healing process.
Here are some articles you may find helpful immediately:Also, this presentation and chart... Last edited on Sat Nov 28th, 2009 00:31 by Joyful
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Joyful
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Posted: Sat Nov 28th, 2009 03:22 |
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Hello J. Mc
How long have you been using Afrin? From the online information it seems to be something that is difficult to wean from because of rebound congestion?
I checked the table for Other Therapies in the article on non-MP treatments here: http://mpkb.org/doku.php/home:othertreatments, seems like some use bronchodilator inhalers if necessary for breathing, but that's not really for sinus congestion.
inhalers, bronchodilator - albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin, Accu-Hale), formoterol (Foradil, Oxis, Oxese), levalbuterol (Xopenex), metaproterenol sulfate (Alupent), montelukast (Azlaire, Singulair), pirbuterol (Maxair), salmeterol (Serevent), tiotropium bromide (Spiriva)
 acceptable and sometimes essential to reduce shortness of breath- not immunosuppressive as steroids are
Of course, the MP should address the chronic sinus issues as you recover. 
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J. Mc
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Posted: Sat Nov 28th, 2009 06:48 |
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| I don't have a problem with rebound congestion. It's why I only use Afrin in one nostril per night. That way any rebound congestion on the other side is resolved before I use it again. I've been using it for a while now, and it was a last resort, but the sinusitis got so bad I didn't really have another choice. Steroid and allergy sprays don't help. I've also tried the neti pot (though not religiously) without success. I went to an ENT who started talking about surgery, but it wasn't something I wanted to do at the time. It would be great if the MP could resolve it. I'm just hoping I won't do the MP any harm by using Afrin in the meantime. I need something that will enable me to breathe through my nose though or I have severe sleep disruption.
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Joyful
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Posted: Sat Nov 28th, 2009 21:51 |
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I think using Afrin falls under the category of:
"allowed palliative, wean as soon as possible."
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J. Mc
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Posted: Sat Nov 28th, 2009 21:56 |
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| Okay, that's good. Thanks!
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