Lyme disease treatment: Small dose, big effect

Lyme disease, most common tick-borne rash disease, especially the disease has been
observed in United States and Europe. Lyme disease, caused by an infection with bacteria
named Borrelia burgdorferi, which are carried by the host deer ticks. Deer Ticks, when
feed on blood of animals and humans harbor the infectious bacteria and the disease and
when feeding wide spreading it.
The person suffers the Lyme disease when the bacteria are transmitted into the body,
when the host ticks bites. Lyme disease causes symptoms ranging from rash, fever, chills
and body aches to joint swelling, weakness and temporary paralysis.
Important thing to be noted is these ticks spreading the disease is the typically about the
size of a sesame seed. Basically this disease is most common in rural and suburban area
in northeastern and Midwestern states. The disease is also been prognosis in Asia and
Australia.

It has been noted that Lyme disease is very much curable, but if not detected in early
stage then it may lead to complications like:

• Chronic joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis), particularly of the knee

• Neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy and neuropathy
• Cognitive defects, such as impaired memory
• Heart rhythm irregularities
• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Changes in mood or sleep habits

Lyme disease Treatment:

Antibiotics, is available for treating the Lyme disease, which is also the primary
treatment for Lyme disease. It is effective and almost all patients recover after antibiotic
treatment. Nevertheless, curing may take weeks to months after finishing antibiotic
treatment.

However, a point to be noted, people who recover slowly don’t benefit from taking
additional antibiotics. Also there is an observance that in about 10 to 15 percent of
individuals with early Lyme disease, when there is substances released by the dying
bacteria, which cause a brief worsening of symptoms. This is called as Jarisch-
Herxheimer reaction. The reaction is noted to occur within 24 hours after starting
antibiotics, which may continue for a day or so, and then it also resolves. But if such
reaction is happening then Antibiotic therapy should not be stopped, but should instead
continue as originally prescribed by the medical practitioner.

Small Doses and Big effects:

Oral antibiotics
Oral antibiotics: the standard treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. The doses include
 • doxycycline for adults and children older than 8
• Amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil for adults, younger children and pregnant or
breast-feeding women

These drugs are effective and clear the infection and also prevent complications.

Recommended course period: 14- to 21-day course of antibiotics

Intravenous antibiotics
this method of treatment is used when the disease has progressed. Effective in eliminating
infection, but the disease being progressed it takes time recovering symptomatically.

Recommended course period: Doctor may recommend treatment with an intravenous

antibiotic for 14 to 28 days.

Side Effects: lower white blood cell count, gallstones and mild to severe diarrhea.

Pain-relieving medicines: For reducing the pain caused by the rashes. Also swollen
joints can be reduced by the doctor removing fluid from them. They use the procedure of
arthrocentesis which is a procedure whereby fluid is removed from a joint using a needle
and syringe under sterile conditions. The doctor also can use oral medications such as
ibuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin) to reduce inflammation and reduce pain.

Warning: Avoid bismacine

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given warnings to consumers and health
care providers to avoid bismacine.

Bismacine, also known as chromacine, is an injectable compound, which has been

prescribed by some alternative medicine practitioners to treat Lyme disease. Bismacine
contains high levels of the metal bismuth, can cause bismuth poisoning, which can lead to
heart and kidney failure. Though bismuth is safely used in some oral medications for
stomach ulcers, but it's not approved for use in injectable form or even in oral form as a
treatment for Lyme disease.

There is more likeliness to get Lyme disease if you live or spend time in the grassy and
heavily wooded areas where ticks carrying the disease breed. Therefore it's important to
take common precautions in areas where Lyme disease seems to be prevalent. Treatment
with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of the disease will most likely, the
individual will recover completely.