Lyme Disease Treatment & Prevention

Tick Header

Prevention

  • Wear long clothing and tuck pant legs into socks
  • Use insect repellent containing DEET on all exposed skin
  • Use permethrin spray on clothing, shoes, hats, and outdoor items such as tents and sleeping bags
  • Upon coming inside, take a shower and put worn clothes in dryer for 10 minutes to kill off any lingering ticks
  • If you are going somewhere where reports of Lyme’s
  • Disease are high, talk to you doctor about getting
  • preventative antibiotics like doxycycline

What to expect

What to Expect

  • Little to no pain
  • A small bump lasting about 2 days

tickTreatments – OTC

  • Wash hands and bite site after removing the tick
  • Apply one application of OTC antibiotic ointment

 

How to Remove Ticks

Using Tweezers:

  • Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible
  • Pull straight upwards without twisting or crushing the tick
  • Keep steady pressure until the tick lets go
  • If any part of the tick remains in the skin, clean the skin with rubbing alcohol and scrape off what you can with tweezers or a needle

tick removal

Using a Twisting Device:

  • Slide slotted part of took along skin and around the ticks head
  • Twist tool until the tick release from the skin
  • Lift tick and tool away from skin

ProductsProducts at Patton Pharmacy

  • DEET Bug Spray
    • OFF Family Care
    • Coleman 100 Max Insect Repellent
  • Permethrin Spray
    • Sawyer Insect Repellent Clothing
  • Antibiotic Ointments
    • Polysporin
    • Neosporin
  • Tick Removers
    • Tweezers
    • Tick Tornado

When to See the Doctor

  • If you cannot get the tick removed from the skin
  • A rash or fever starts over the next 2-14 days
  • A new redness starts over 24 hours after the bite
  • Signs of infection
  • A red ring or bull’s eye rash appears around the bite

tick rashtick rash 2

Treatment for Lyme Disease

  • Antibiotic treatments for Lyme’s Disease in adults and children over 8 years old include Doxycycline, Amoxicillin, and Cefuroxime
  • Children less than 8 or women who are pregnant should not take Doxycycline but can still use Amoxicillin or Cefuroxime
  • Treatment can last from 10 to 28 days depending on the medication used and what stage the disease is in
  • If you get bitten by a tick, your doctor may prescribe a preventative dose of doxycycline within the first 72 hours after removing the tick depending on the likelihood of Lyme’s Disease development