I found an adult female deer tick attached to me, went to my doc who prescribed prophylatic doxycycline for 3 weeks. I decided to have the tick tested and it was negative for everything (dna and rna tests). Doc wants me to finish antibiotics (2 more weeks). I am afraid of getting c dif infection and would like to stop antibiotics, as the tick tested negative. This doctor has very little knowledge of lyme or ticks. Please advise!
Posted by no_lyme_in_florida (Member # 5537) on :
Doxycycline is generally considered very low risk for c-dif. I took months of it without any problems. Ultimately, only you and your Doctor can decide for you, but I can't ever remember anyone saying on here that they got c-dif from doxy. That's not to say it hasn't happened, I just don't ever recall seeing it mentioned.
Just be careful of sun exposure, it can make your skin very sensitive to sunlight.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Just remember .. most tests will come back falsely negative. If the testing was flawed, you could very well have Lyme. Stopping the meds now would put you in a very bad position and a life-time of chronic Lyme.
Not worth the chance. I once got a bite and took the meds .. Nine days later I began to feel very ill. (again .. already had chronic lyme)
Two weeks later, the test on the tick came back negative. Hogwash!!
You could also have gotten another coinfection of Lyme, which has not been tested for. (doxy covers most co-infections).... So you are a sitting duck if you do not take the meds now.
Your incidence of getting c.diff is very low. Take probiotics two hours away from the antibiotics .. and keep taking them for a few weeks after you are finished with the meds.
Best of luck!!
Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
Ditto on what Lymetoo posted. . . Take quality probiotics - 2 times per day, 1 hour before meals or meds.
Tick testing is just another weapon in our arsenal. It can offer clues and guidance about which pathogens could be causing any odd symptoms that arise post-tick bite.
A negative tick test does not mean it's disease free. There are many new species of Borrelia and viruses that are not tested for. Also, another undetected tick might have bitten you at the same time.
A positive tick test confirms pathogen(s) but there is a chance it did not have the opportunity to transmit that illness to you.
Tick-borne illnesses are still diagnosised by CLINICAL symptoms.
Posted by t9im (Member # 25489) on :
Hi kilbylake:
Lymetoo is correct that a negative test can be incorrect. I believe there is a study where 3 patients came down with Lyme but the tick PCR was negative.
So LLMD's prescribe the Doxy to be on the safe side as well as to hit some of the co infections a tick may also be transmitting.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
PS... To prevent c.diff .. take Florastor, which is available at Walmart.
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
Who did the tick testing? If it was a reputable lab like Umass (www.tickreport.com) and it came back negative I would consider that to be accurate.
My LLMD states UMASS is the best tick testing center out there and if they say "negative" they mean "Negative"