herxing

Brenner’s own experience with “herxing” (a common phrase among Lyme patients) started 2 or 3 hours after his first antibiotic treatment.

1997 February, Edward McSweegan, “TNF antibodies get new lease”, in Nature Medicine, volume 3, number 2, page 130

Moreover, the Jarish–Herxheimer reaction (sometimes referred to as “herxing”) is a rare syndrome seen within the first 48 hr of starting antibiotic treatment for some spirochetal diseases; the belief that “herxing” causes ongoing symptom flares in patients with Lyme disease is a fallacy for which there is no objective evidence.

2013 July, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Article Corrections”, in Gifted Child Today, volume 36, number 3, page 215

Herxes, or “herxing,” are a great bugbear in the world of chronic Lyme. The term is drawn from the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, originally identified in the context of syphilis. It refers to a brief, severe reaction that can take place within the first few days of antibiotic treatment; as bacteria die off and release endotoxins, a patient experiences fever, chills, and sometimes dangerously low blood pressure.

2019 July 22, Molly Fischer, “Maybe it’s Lyme”, in New York magazine