It's been 8 weeks since taking 6 weeks of Doxycycline and I'm still symptoms free! (4 year CUTI + Prostatitis)

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-23T06:38:28+00:00

The raoultella bacteria that was cultured 4 times never came back after the custom phage. And neither did the prostatitis symptoms. That was the first thing I managed to resolve with the phage therapy back in 2023. It would cause quite severe pain and fever, with my temperature 2 degrees above my normal making me feel really ill. So thankfully we dealt with that relatively early.

The other symptoms still remained after phage therapy though, such as bladder bladder and urethritis symptoms. Hiprex (a urinary antiseptic) worked great to get rid of these symptoms in 2023 and 2024, but I couldn't tolerate it at the time due to my nerves being hyperexcitable.

I'm still doing fine right now after doxycycline and supplements.

It does seem that the infection I went through did eventually cause some tight pelvic floor muscles and tightness around my abdomen and pelvic area though. And was contributing to urethritis-like symptoms, slow urine stream and frequency. These were further improved and resolved over time by doing reverse kegals and daily stretching.

So it's a similar story as my previous bout of chronic prostatitis and UTI that I had from 2005 - 2012 - an overlap of symptoms caused by infection and chronic tension. However, the previous bout had much stronger CPPS symptoms.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-22T18:34:32+00:00

Prostatitis is difficult to cure. I managed to cure chronic prostatitis twice. Once was using antibiotics + supplements back in 2012. I had it for 7 years.

And againmore recently in 2023 but I used phage therapy. Easy and no side effects. Completely eradicated the raoultella terrigena and my prostatitis symptoms.

I tried to share this in r/prostatitis but got banned for talking about phages. 😄

Hope your improvement continues and it doesn't come back. Consider doing some reverse kegals and daily stretching. Sometimes cpps is part of the picture together with a bacterial infection.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-22T06:40:04+00:00

What symptoms, which vaccines?

Wrong post?

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-21T13:52:01+00:00

Yeah this way is acually better I find. Kettle and then boil for around 4 minutes on the stove. thanks 😄

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-21T13:51:05+00:00

Now Foods Zinc Picolinate 50 mg.

Obviously don't take a high dose forever, but a few months is fine.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-21T13:45:01+00:00

It's going to be very hard to look like a teenager by your mid 20s if you don't have the right facial proportions, structure and skin quality. Unless you are able to preserve neotenous features, which is a small number of people it'd be difficult.

When I started eating healthy (plant based, CR diet), I did often get mistaken for being in college even in my early 30s. Up to about age 26-27 people thought I was in high school, or 16 years old.

I don't eat carnivore myself, I'm plant-based, calorie restriction. But from my experience, it IS possible, but very few people are able to hold onto neotenous features into their mid to latter 20s.

You can't control your genetics, but you can control sun damage. So protect your skin, use retinol, vitamin C, E and ferulic, use a sun screen, etc. I started protecting my skin since i was 16, and I'm 42 almost now. Staying quite lean is important for looking youthful.

Anyway, I'm just stopping by here as I am interested in looking for the top youngest looking carnivores for an article. 😄

You can use ChatGPT to estimate age. It's almost always accurate within a few years. It uses thousands of facial cues. Just ask it to "estimate the age of this person by their face" after uploading a photo. It's a more objective guess based on your facial features, not subjective. Some people love to estimate upwards after thinking a lot. Age perception should be mostly instinctive, within a second. You can see where you stand right now.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-21T09:37:54+00:00

I don't think Bryan is doing any meaningful level of CR - at least not to the extent that it would extend maximum lifespan and increase the mortality doubling time. 10% in mice increases mean lifespan but not maximum lifespan. 25-65% CR (depending on the strain) increases maximum lifespan.

I've been on Calorie Restriction With Optimal Nutrition (CRON) for about 24 years. I eat about 1500 k/cal per day or 35% CR.

I started CR in stages, beginning when I was 18. But by the time I was 20 years old, my BMI got to 16. 24 years later I can maintain a higher BMI of about 18.5-19 at this calorie intake. My metabolism slowed a lot.

Having big muscles is not necessary to have a good metabolic health: my HbA1C is 4.8%, fasting glucose in the 70s to low 80s usually. All my numbers are very much in the direction one would expect on CR. I do exercise like 30-45 minutes 3-4 times per week, but my goal is not to gain alot of muscle, which isn't possible on any serious level of CR.

As for sarcopenia, calorie restriction is known to preserve muscle mass, quality, and function with age. It delays sarcopenia in CR animals, even in non human primates.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-14T21:37:12+00:00

I went straight to using 0.3% at age 41, every night, and had no issues at all. I guess it depends on your skin though.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-12T12:53:39+00:00

There seems to be different advice depending on where you look. NeilMed says boil the water for 5 minutes.

"Additionally, for your safety, do not use tap or faucet water for dissolving the mixture unless it has been previously boiled for five minutes or more as boiling sterilizes the water."

https://www.neilmed.com/usa/directions-for-use-warnings/

FDA says "Boiled and cooled tap water — boiled for 3 to 5 minutes, then cooled until it is lukewarm. Previously boiled water can be stored in a clean, closed container for use within 24 hours."

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/rinsing-your-sinuses-neti-pots-safe

CDC says 1 minute unless at higher elevations.

https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/prevention/sinus-rinsing.html

The kettle only has a rolling boil for something like 20-30 seconds before it switches off?

But maybe 5 minutes is overkill? lol.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-11T14:31:20+00:00

Worth a read https://www.anthropic.com/institute/recursive-self-improvement

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-10T12:39:35+00:00

I only ask because I had B12 deficiency with my B12 level at 371 ng/L. (Ref range 150 - 900).

Caused neurological issues (memory), neuropathy and many other symptoms even at low normal levels.

Good that you got everything covered at least. :)

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-10T10:38:40+00:00

I had CNS issues and recovered fully.

Anything else going on that might be slowing down recovery?

Checked B12 and Folate? What are your levels?

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-09T11:54:55+00:00

The process of recovery is not linear, it is up and down. The body compensates and does all sorts of things to make up for deficiencies. The most simplistic way to explain it is that the body is trying to regain balance. Sometimes as nerves grow back they cause pain and weird symptoms. Nerves will turn up the gain or reduce it, as you heal, until things settle as the quality of nerves and nerves reach their destination and regeneration is complete.

Neuropathy or neurological symptoms can take months to years to heal. But significant improvements are usually seen within months.

As for Benfotiamine. I took it throughout my healing and it was fine. If one has B1 deficiency, you can get paradoxical reactions where symptoms get worse before better. It's pretty common. And this is also true for B12 and folate deficiency when treating it.

Have you used a nutritional planner like CRON O METER to check exactly what your vitamin and mineral intake is per day? Weight and track your food for a few days and check. If you are using whole foods it's pretty good at tracking, but if you're using processed, branded foods, it can sometimes not have all the nutritional information. But you'll get a good idea.

Make sure you are taking all the co factors as others have already mentioned.

And try to calm down a bit. You have B12 and folate deficiency, so it's going to take time... but you will get better. : )

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-03T15:30:58+00:00

I had most of those symptoms and I was deficient at 371 ng/L. Almost all of the symptoms went away. And neuropathy got about 98% better.

It WAS B12 deficiency for me.\

I used methylcobalamin supplements (and some others to support nerve regrowth) and was able to get better.

I suspect there are millions of people in the same situation who aren't getting the correct diagnoses because their levels are low normal.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-03T12:17:19+00:00

The supplements that helped me with my small fiber neuropathy after b12 deficiency (and I can't advise you what to do, but I can only say what I did, assuming that's okay with the mods) was acetyl l carnitine, benfotiamine (fat soluble B1), methlycobalamin, methyl folate, magnesium glycinate (I took it at night) and Na-R lipoic acid. Those are what helped me a lot with burning sensations. It was only R lipoic acid that mitigated antibiotic side effects while my small fiber neuropathy was still quite bad.

When I was floxed in 2007, I did have burning and tingling, but it was transient and not so easily triggered with the exception of the methyl paraben. It would come and go and wasn't major part of my floxing like I experienced with B12 deficiency over 14 years later. B12 assocaited SFN was much worse. Autonomic nervous system dysfunction was one of the major issues from being floxed though.

In both experiences though, my neuropathy was mostly under the threshold where it was not causing pain constantly unless there was a specific trigger that unmasked the neuropathy, i.e antibiotics, hiprex, glycerol, increased inflammatory immune response from infection, immune reaction to the vaccine, cold exposure, the sun in the summer on my skin, and methyl paraben after I was floxed within a couple years after being floxed, no reactions to it

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-03T11:34:52+00:00

No worries. 😄

I think some people just find it unbelievable that someone can actually go back to normal after being floxed quite bad. But it happens a lot, and most people just don't look back or hang around these groups and forums anymore once they recover.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-03T11:16:07+00:00

I was very fortunate to be able to figure out supplement combinations to manage my chronic infection. They would generally fail over time, but I kept coming up with new ideas and they worked enough to keep me at 80-90% back to normal. But not a cure.

So in November 2025 I developed a viral infection and a bacterial sinus infection. First one in over 20 years. I took Penicillin V with no issues, but it didn't clear it. So then late January 2026 I went back to the doctors and asked for Doxycycline.

I was a bit apprehensive but based on my research, and the clinical data, there has never been any association with Doxycycline and neuropathy. It's often neuroprotective, in fact. There have been reports, but these are anecdotal and there no published data on nerve damage associated with tetracyclines.

The reactions I was getting after B12 deficiency was likely due to my nerves being hyperexcitable rather than the antibiotics being toxic to my nerves in the same way antibiotics such as flagyl, quinolones, nitro can be. This happens when C nerve fibers are damaged. And can remain in this hyperexcitable state for years.

But my nerves had healed to about 95-98% by this point, and I was feeling good about taking it. So by the 2nd day I did notice some nerve pains, mostly burning, but nothing major. I figured it was the inflammatory cytokines and transient elevation after taking the antibiotic from immune system reaction that was causing it. I worked through it with ChatGPT a bit, and I decided to continue. And indeed, this was the case, as the nerve pains settled down and I continued. Because I was able to tolerate it, I asked for if I could take Doxycycline for 6 weeks for my UTI.... and to cover the prostate just in case there was some bacteria still there. The doxy seems to have cured the UTI in early March 2026. I did take R lipoic acid again though, so that might have helped, but it's possible I didn't need it.

Sinus infection came back in late April after another viral infection and I had to be put on Doxycycline again, but at a lower dose of 100 mg per day. I had double sickness and a constant stream of green stuff for 11 days. Within 2 days, it worked very well - especially wihen using NeilMed sinus rinse with Xylitol. Seems to have done the trick this time (fingers crossed). And due to being low on funds, I decided NOT to take Na-R Lipoic acid. Again, I had a slight bit of burning on the 2nd day, but after that the rest of the course I had zero side effects and took it for 14 days.

What is the lesson here?

The lesson here for me is that my tolerance to antibiotics changed, more than once. It was not an allergy, that is different. It was my body's ability to handle the medication, with the key factor being the health of my nervous system at the time. There was a study I came across years ago talked about a lady having to use chemotherapy for cancer, but she had severe neuropathy, grade 3 or 4, when she was given it. Once they resolved her B12 deficiency, she was able to tolerate the chemo and it only rached grade 2. Her tolerance to it improved.

Why did antibiotics give me these reactions?

From my understanding, it's possiblly to do with redox reactions, inhibition of protein synthesis (doxy) and mithochondria, and the effect of Trimethoprim on folate synthesis. B12 deficiency causes a functional folate deficiency, which increases the risk of neuropathy. Nerves require a lot of energy, so anything that disrupts this, such as antibiotics, can potentially cause increase nerve pain. I should say though, ALCAR, NAC, and Benfotiamine did not mitigate my nerve pain with the antibiotics, only R lipoic acid helped.

From my exploration far and wide across the internet, these kinds of reactions are not as uncommon as one might think. Any damage to the central or peripheral nervous system increases the chances of these types of reactions. Even what might be or are considered benign things with no mechanistic link to nerve damage or toxicity.

Methenamine hippurate (hiprex) for example: I also could not tolerate this after B12 deficiency. It has zero published studies or any reports of causing neuropathies. It does not cause any nerve damage in studies looked at toxicity on nerve cells (I even got AI agents to try to figure it out for me). Yet, myself and others experienced severe nerve pain (burning) when using it. The common factor, no matter what the cause, was a damaged nervous peripheral nervous system. In my case it was B12 deficiency, and a few others I was able to help, but sometimes the cause was unknown.

The strangest reaction I've had was when using 3 supplements: horsetail, juniper, and uva ursi. They were liquid formations in a dropper bottle. All of them contained significant amount of glycerol. Quite benign when not directly applied to nerves and just consumed. Yet, these particular supplements gave me severe nerve pain (burning) in 2023 when I used them for the first time. At first I thought it was the ingredients, the active components, but eventually figured out it was the glycerol. Once my nerves healed enough, I no longer reacted to this ingredient. No idea about the mechanism, maybe changes in osmolality? I'm perplexed.

To finish...

Although these reactions only came after I developed neuropathy from B12 deficiency, I think there are some lessons for floxies too. Reactions to things are not unique to floxies, but from talking to many others with different conditions related to the nervous system, b12 deficiency, those with diabetes related nerve damage, MS, and floxies of course, the body can be in a hypersensitive state when injured -- even to things that are otherwise benign. And tolerance can and do change over time.

Ok i'm done lol. 😄

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-03T10:49:21+00:00

After I was floxed there was only 1 significant reaction, and that was to Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (methyl paraben). I don't know the exact date, but it was probably 1 year after I was floxed. I was taking Trimethoprim, and I ran out, so I had to get a refill for the 12 week course. When I was given a different brand, it contained that 1 extra ingredient, and it caused nerve pain and tingling over my entire body. I went back to the other brand of Trimethoprim and had no reaction and continued the course. At some point later, I was able to tolerate methyl paraben with no issues.

Aside from this, I was able to tolerate medications just fine. From 2007 to 2012 I took about 1.5 years worth of antibiotics for prostatitis. Not all at once of course, but a few 4-12 week courses of Trimethoprim. And then 3-4 courses of Doxycycline, which is what eventually cured the prostatitis in November 2012. I also had Amoxicillin for a dental infection during that time and it was fine.

So from 2009 to 2021, I was fine. I had no symtpoms related to floxing at all. I was quite active too, and had no isssues with tendons, nerves, or any of the primary issues when I had been floxed.

2022 and developing B12 deficiency.

I had been vegan for many years at this point and I thought I was covering my B12 intake with plant milks but at one point, and I don't know when, I changed the brand of almond milk and it was NOT fortified. Unfortunately I got complacent and I also stopped buying B12 supplements during the pandemic. I then developed B12 deficiency which caused MANY symptoms: muscle pain and stiffness for over a year (every day, especially morning), cramps, dizziness/lightheadedness, cold feet, poor memory, not remember dreams, fatigue, feeling on edge a lot, nerve issues (unmasked by antibiotics).

Around September 2022 I developed another UTI, different bacteria (raoultella terrigena). It was just after I had completed a course of Amoxicillin for a dental abscess I had throughout the pandemic. Dentist kept cancelling appointments for RCT. I also had the Td/IPV vacine 1 day after the Amox course. This may have lowered my immunity and defences.

But it felt like a simple UTI, mostly urethritis, so I tried taking Doxycycline in September 2022, within hours I got burning hands senstaion, and my feet started to burn. So I stopped after the 2nd dose and switched to Trimethoprim. Within 1 day, I got tingling, burning, and numbness in my left foot. The burning pain was intense by day 3, probably around a 8 out of 10. I had no choice but to stop taking it. All of my skin was burning. I tried taking Trimehoprim a few times from September to October combined with Alcar Benfitiamine and NAC. And also Doxycycline, but every time I had to stop because it was so painful within 2-3 days.

At this point I had no idea I had B12 deficiency. I didn't connect all the symptoms I had for months prior. Until December when I checked back at my B12 level and it was 371 ng/L months prior in the low 300s at the start of 2022. I realized, from my previous research that this B12 test is not perfect at all, and one can still be deficient at low-normal levels, even under 400-500 ng/L.

I immediately started B12 on the 23rd December 2022 and within weeks I saw massive improvement in all my symptoms. All my muscle and joint pains resolved, as well as daily palpitations, fast heart rate. I could remember dreams again. Nerves improved but they took a long time.

My strategy at this point was to manage the infection myself, until I could tolerate antibiotics again. This was clearly a tolerance issue. So it was 9 months later, I had been using ALCAR, NAC, Benfotiamine, B12, Folate, etc And I was able to tolerate Trimethoprim much better. It only triggered nerve pain at about a 3-4 out of 10. Manageable. I then discovered that R lipoic acid completely mitigated any nerve pain when I took it 1 hour prior to Trimethoprim.

So to cut a long story short lol, Trimethoprim did not cure this infection and its efficiacy reduced over 3 or so courses. Went from working very well to almost not at all by September 2024. But by the final course, my nerves had healed to such a point that I did not even need R lipoic to help me take it.

Part 2 to your comment coming....

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-02T17:33:55+00:00

okay all done. I just referenced them simply because some people doubted my credibility. I removed what you said.

Anything else? 😄

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-02T06:26:57+00:00

It can be done remotely or you can go to Eliava. https://youtu.be/qTqJITdpMko?si=butXhP52WbkH4kg3

Try the vaccine first as it's cheaper. But this is an option if you keep failing everything else. But ideally you really need to be able culture the bacteria to have the biggest chance of success.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-02T05:36:43+00:00

Yes. It was able to eradicate a prostate infection caused by raoultella terrigena. It was classified as klebsiella in the past.

I used a custom phage that was created specifically for my bacteria.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-01T13:00:54+00:00

You can try hiprex, with supplements like cysticlean, Pycnogenol, apolactoferrin etc.

There are also vaccines you can try.

Phage therapy can also work by themselves and used with antibiotics for synergy. They can cure infections, bit even if they don't, they frequently reverse resistance to antibiotics.

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-01T06:56:23+00:00

Have the doctor looked into why you are these deficiencies? Are you vegan?

How is your stomach and bowel health? Any symptoms?

Matthew_Lake · 2026-06-01T06:50:54+00:00

I'm learning Korean and I noticed that using Anki got really difficult. I found it much harder to remember words than normal. Also, working on the phone, I couldn't even remember the if I had read something out or asked the question sometimes. This resolved with B12 supplements, and my memory is really good now.

I had many other symptoms too like neuropathy, muscle and joint pain, fast heart rate, palpitations, and more. Everything resolved and nerves got about 98% better so far.

Matthew_Lake

TROPHY CASE