Lyme disease is an infectious inflammatory disease transmitted by bites of infected ticks. It is characterized by fever and rashes, followed by joint swelling and pain, headache, and fatigue. It is said to be treated by taking oral antibiotics, performing intravenous antibiotics, and applying alternative therapies.
When someone has the symptoms of Lyme disease, it is important that it is treated right away and for the right duration. Otherwise, the disease can be chronic and become dangerous to one’s health. Here are ways by which Lyme disease can be treated:
Take oral antibiotics
Medication prescribed by physicians to treat Lyme disease actually depends on the stage of Lyme disease and other personal health factors. Most of the time, especially during the early stages of the disease, getting rid of Lyme involves taking oral antibiotics. Common prescriptions include cefuroxime or amoxicillin for young children, adults, and breast-feeding or pregnant women because they have no negative side effects on the fetus and young children. Patients are usually advised to take 500 mg of any of these orally, three times a day.
Another antibiotic used to treat Lyme disease is doxycycline, usually 100 mg taken orally twice a day. This drug is not advisable for children below nine years of age and pregnant or breastfeeding women, due to its negative side effects. Other prescribed antibiotics include tetracycline and phenoxymethyl penicillin. Erythromycin and azithromycin are also used but are said to be second line choices of physicians and are usually combined with the use of another drug.
These advised antibiotics are observed to clear the infection and stop the development of bacteria. They should be taken for no more than four weeks. Studies show that prolonged treatment of antibiotics are not advisable and may only cause serious complications to the patient, including death. Antibiotics can also cause the bacteria in your body to be non-resistant. Furthermore, as a patient, do not always expect abrupt relief of symptoms, even after antibiotic treatment. Do no allow antibiotics to be retreated when you are not relieved of Lyme symptoms yet, since some patients will recover several months after the treatment. For relief of symptoms, other patients are take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, exercise, physical therapy, and anti-depressants.
Take intravenous antibiotics
If you have some cardiac or neurological illnesses or your Lyme disease has already complicated before its diagnosis, intravenous antibiotic may be recommended and applied to you by your physician. Ceftriaxone or penicillin antibiotics are commonly used for 14 to 28 days of treatment. There are, however, recorded side effects such as diarrhea, colonization, and lowering of white blood cell count, all of which are not related to Lyme disease. As with oral antibiotics, some symptoms may not be easily relieved and will progressively go away months after treatment.
Apply alternative therapies
There have been reports of successful Lyme disease treatment of some patients with alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, digestive enzymes, far-infrared sauna, and glutathione. Most of these alternatives are not medically certified and could be harmful to your health. It would be best to conduct research and consult your doctor about these therapies. There are also some physicians who combine antibiotic medications and alternative therapies to effectively treat Lyme.
Treating Lyme disease can be very tiring and exhausting. Unlike other bacterial infections that go away with appropriate medication, symptoms of Lyme disease can last longer. Since there is no vaccination available yet to prevent this disease, it is very important to take care of yourself and know your surroundings so you can avoid tick bites. You can keep your yard grass trimmed, regularly spray insecticide in your home, and use insect repellents. Ask your local health department for further tips to help you avoid this infectious disease.
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