Used to be active member of this site 2000 to maybe 2005 but fortunately got better and went on with life. Over the weekend I had 2 attached deer ticks. Of course this scares me to death. Went to doc today and so far put on 100mg doxy 2 times a day for 21 days. I pushed for 200 mg 2 times a day but she said no. TrYing to decide if I should go to another doc. Not established with a lyme doc now as it has been probably 6 + years. Any advice?
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
So good to see you! NOT good to hear about the bites. So sorry!
If it were me, I'd go to a doc in the box or walk in clinic and start all over again as if you'd not been elsewhere. Maybe between the two places you can get the dose Dr. B recommends.
If this printable handout helps please take it with you (and usually it does when a doc has actually guidelines he/she can see to follow).
Also, I can't post it here, but if you go to the site I just got online you'll see a few places (under "Alternative") that you can call and have a doc by Skype or by phone from your home or office. $40 fee.
Hope that helps!
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
If you can't figure out what I am talking about (new site), go to www.MarylandLyme.org and look under doctor referral on the menu to your left to get the link.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
And don't forget to have the ticks tested for free and help in the tick studies! Saves hundreds of dollars for you and it is easy to do.
Click on "Free Tick Testing" near top of this page for more info.
Thank you so much for the info. I have the ticks all packaged up to mail off today. Will hope for good news but if it is not, at least I will have more evidence for the doc.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Hi, Connie!!
Keep us posted... hope the ticks are disease free!
Posted by KH111 (Member # 25829) on :
I sent the tick that bit my son to Igenex and it came back negative. My son never the less ended up getting both lyme and bartonella from that tick. So my advice is to get tested yourself and take a preventative course of antibiotics. Make sure you test for co-infections!! Very important!
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
PM sent with names of LLMDs for NC.
Posted by surfinmama (Member # 46325) on :
I have an important question. My neighbor's 3 year-old is being treated with amoxicillin for a new EM rash so Lyme is confirmed. My question - will the amoxicillin also treat any co-infections or does she need to be tested for Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella?
Many thanks!
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
If the child just got bitten, often only lyme has to be treated. See this quote from Burrascano, page 4:
"Apparently, in early infections, before extensive damage to the immune system has occurred, if the germ load of the co-infectors is low, and the Lyme is treated, many of the other ticktransmitted microbes can be contained and eliminated by the immune system."
This sentence may apply as long as the child just got lyme. However, if the child has been ill for some time, that is another story.. See the next sentence:
" However, in the chronic patient, because of the inhibited defenses, the individual components of the co-infection are now active enough so that they too add to features of the illness and must be treated."
Other medications are needed to treat the coinfections. See pages 24 and 25 and also this handy webpage:
(Young children may not be able to take these meds. Only a pediatric lyme doc would know what adjustments to make.)
So, hopefully, if the child's symptoms just started and this was caught early, AND the dosage of amoxi is high enough, the child will be fine.
See p. 18 of Burrascano for the proper dosage. Here is what it says:
"Children: 50 mg/kg/day divided into q8h doses."
In plain English, that says to give 50 milligrams of amoxi for every kilogram the child weighs divided into every 8 hour doses.
So, if the child requires 150 mg per day based on their weight, they should take 50 mg 3 times per day (every 8 hours or as close to that as possible).
However, after having lyme many years and then being cured of it, when I got a new bite 3 years later, my lyme doc played it safe and put me on 3 antibiotics--one for lyme, one for babesia, and one for bartonella. I was done with my treatment in 30 days.
I was glad he did this. Only a lyme specialist would do this, I suppose.
Posted by surfinmama (Member # 46325) on :
Thanks so much! I will relay this information to my neighbor.
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