Lyme Treatment Protocol
-
Time Frame
-
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the National Institutes of Health have conducted studies showing that antibiotics taken for a few weeks can cure most patients of Lyme disease. Oral antibiotics include amoxicillin and doxycycline. To prevent long-term effects of Lyme, the treatment protocol should be initiated as soon as the bite is discovered.
Symptoms
-
The deer tick is so tiny that many do not realize they have been bitten until symptoms of infection occur. According to the CDC, the first sign may be a circular rash around the area of the tick bite.
Treatment
-
The Mayo Clinic recommends a treatment protocol involving oral antibiotics for 14 to 21 days for early-stage Lyme disease. Intravenous antibiotics may be required for more advanced stages of disease.
Stages of Lyme Disease
-
According to the Merck Online Medical Library, the three stages of Lyme disease each have specific treatment protocols. The three stages are: early localized (involving a rash); early disseminated (with symptoms of fatigue, headache, myalgias and stiff neck); and late onset (arthritis symptoms, fatigue and fever). Late-onset Lyme disease can occur years after the initial bite.
Warning
-
See your doctor at the first sign of a tick bite or if symptoms such as fatigue, fever, joint pain or any musculoskeletal abnormalities occur with no other medical association.
-