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The first step in treating Lyme disease is prevention. Prevention measures include staying out of thick brush, high grass and thickly wooded areas unless properly protected. Protection includes the use of an insect repellent that contains the chemical DEET when in these areas. It is also important to cover all exposed parts of the skin with light-colored clothing, wear a hat, and to tuck shirts into pants and pant legs into socks. It is also key to keep the yard clear of excessive leaf debris and brush and to keep grass mowed.
After being outside, people should inspect their bodies for ticks, remove any ticks immediately, and to notify a licensed health care clinician about any tick bites. Removing a tick involves using a tweezer to grasp the tick at its head as close to the skin as possible and pulling gently until it is dislodged.
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or amoxicillin. Early recognition and treatment usually result in a good prognosis and minimize the risk of developing serious complications, such as meningitis or chronic arthritis.
For Lyme disease that has resulted in critical complications, treatment may include hospital care in an intensive care setting.
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Lyme disease includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.
Alternative treatments or home remedies that have been listed as possibly helpful for Lyme disease may include:
The first step in getting correct treatment is to get a correct diagnosis. Differential diagnosis list for Lyme disease may include:
Hidden causes of Lyme disease may be incorrectly diagnosed:
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Lyme disease:
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Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment or change in treatment plans.
Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Lyme disease include:
Unlabelled alternative drug treatments for Lyme disease include:
The following are some of the latest treatments for Lyme disease:
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics under the supervision of a physician. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Neurological Sequelae Of Lyme Disease Information Page: NINDS)
Nearly all Lyme disease patients can be effectively
treated with an appropriate course of antibiotic therapy. In general, the sooner
such therapy is begun following infection, the quicker and more complete the
recovery.
Antibiotics, such as doxycycline, cefuroxime axetil, or
amoxicillin taken orally for a few weeks, can speed the healing of the erythema
migrans rash and usually prevent subsequent symptoms such as arthritis or
neurological problems. Doxycycline will also effectively treat most other
tick-borne diseases.
Patients younger than 9 years or pregnant or
lactating women with Lyme disease are treated with amoxicillin, cefuroxime
axetil, or penicillin because doxycycline can stain the permanent teeth
developing in young children or unborn babies. Patients allergic to penicillin
are given erythromycin.
Lyme disease patients with neurological symptoms
are usually treated with the antibiotic ceftriaxone given intravenously once a
day for a month or less. Most patients experience full recovery.
Lyme
arthritis may be treated with oral antibiotics. Patients with severe arthritis
may be treated with ceftriaxone or penicillin given intravenously. To ease these
patients' discomfort and further their healing, the physician might also give
anti-inflammatory drugs, draw fluid from affected joints, or surgically remove
the inflamed lining of the joints.
Lyme arthritis resolves in most
patients within a few weeks or months following antibiotic therapy, although it
can take years to disappear completely in some people. Some Lyme disease
patients who are untreated for several years may be cured of their arthritis
with the proper antibiotic regimen. If the disease has persisted long enough,
however, it may irreversibly damage the structure of the joints.
Physicians prefer to treat Lyme disease patients experiencing heart
symptoms with antibiotics such as ceftriaxone or penicillin given intravenously
for about 2 weeks. If these symptoms persist or are severe enough, patients may
also be treated with corticosteroids or given a temporary internal cardiac
pacemaker. People with Lyme disease rarely experience long-term heart damage.
Following treatment for Lyme disease, some people still have muscle
achiness, neurologic symptoms such as problems with memory and concentration,
and persistent fatigue. NIH-sponsored researchers are conducting studies to
determine the cause of these symptoms and how to best treat them.
Researchers are also currently conducting studies to assess the optimal
duration of antibiotic therapy for the various manifestations of Lyme disease.
Investigators are also testing newly developed antibiotics for their
effectiveness in countering the Lyme disease bacterium.
Unfortunately, a
bout with Lyme disease is no guarantee that the illness will be prevented in the
future. The disease can strike more than once in the same individual if he or
she is reinfected with the Lyme disease bacterium. (Source: excerpt from Lyme Disease -- The Facts, The Challenge: NIAID)
According to treatment experts, antibiotic treatment for 3-4 weeks with doxycycline or amoxicillin is generally effective in early disease. Cefuroxime axetil or erythromycin can be used for persons allergic to penicillin or who cannot take tetracyclines. Later disease, particularly with objective neurologic manifestations, may require treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone or penicillin for 4 weeks or more, depending on disease severity. In later disease, treatment failures may occur and retreatment may be necessary. (The Medical Letter, Vol. 42(Issue 1077), May 1, 2000) (Source: excerpt from Questions and Answers About Lyme Disease: DVBID)
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