Tips On How To Treat Lyme Disease

By Etta Bowen


Treating lyme disease requires antibiotic intervention as early as possible. It takes several weeks to a month to see the first symptoms. On the area where the tick bit, a small bump will appear and later the rash will spread to other parts of the body. It has a bulls eye characteristic with a clear area and a red circle surrounding the area bitten. The patient experiences body and head aches, fatigue, fever and chills, among other flu like symptoms.

There are other signs that will develop in the latter stages. This is indicative of a progressive attack by the bacteria. Experts know how to treat lyme disease before it gets worse and spreads the rash to other areas. Secondary symptoms will take several weeks or up to a month to appear.

Antibiotics will be administered after the doctor ascertains the presence of the bacteria through tests. Seeking early treatment leads to quicker recovery. Early treatment is done through oral antibiotics.

Adults and children over 8 years are given as dose of doxycycline or amoxicillin. Cefuroxime is the best option if children are below 8 years. Pregnant and breast feeding mothers are also treated using cefuroxime. The duration of treatment ranges between 14 and 21 days though there are cases where 10 to 14 days of antibiotic administration have proven effective.

The use of intravenous antibiotic injection is only necessary when the nervous system is affected. The injection will be administered over a period of 14 to 28 days. An infection that has spread or affected the nervous system takes longer to eliminate. Expected side effects include reduced white blood cells count, colonization by organisms that are resistant to antibiotics and severe to mild diarrhea.

After being treated, some patients will still display symptoms such as fatigue and muscle aches. The symptoms do not go away despite continue antibiotic use. This is attributed, to some extent, to the development of autoimmune response by the body. Studies are on going to unravel the mystery.

Bismacine is commonly prescribed by alternative practitioners though it has not been approved by Food and Drugs Administration. This is because it contains very high bismuth metal content. Patients are exposed to poisoning as well as such fatal diseases as kidney failure and heart attack.

Prevention measures include avoidance of tick infested areas. Such are patches with long grass, wooded sections and bushes. You are advised to use long sleeved shirts and pants when working or walking around bushes and areas that are possibly infested.

Insect repellants work incredibly well to reduce exposure to the bacteria. The repellant you choose should contain a higher percentage of DEET. The eyes, hands and mouth should be avoided when applying such repellants. There are pretreated clothes or permethrin may be applied on ordinary ones.

Regularly disinfected yards are considered safer and effective in keeping ticks off your skin. Other measures include clearing bushing and storing woodpiles in the sun. Pets must be disinfected on regular basis and living areas maintained in a very clean state. Tweezers should be used to remove the ticks when it bites your and antiseptic applied on the wound.




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