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Tick on me, AGAIN

Found a tick on my back this morning, off to doctor, doxycycline. Aaaargh!

… are you saying you get a full dose of antibiotics every time you find a tick on you? Most ticks don’t even carry Lyme.

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No they just gave me a single dose and are testing the tick.

Have you had lyme disease in the past? That seems like overkill for most people in places where ticks are common.

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In places where Lyme is endemic, it’s very widely accepted to prescribe a prophylactic dose of doxy when a deer tick is found attached.

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/tick-bite-prophylaxis.html

“In areas that are highly endemic for Lyme disease, a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline (200 mg for adults or 4.4 mg/kg for children of any age weighing less than 45 kg) may be used to reduce the risk of acquiring Lyme disease after the bite of a high risk tick bite.”

That’s a normal course of action. Most doctors and urgent cares don’t even blink if you ask. I’d never skip prophylaxis with a deer tick bite–the risk of actually getting lyme around here is just way too large.

HP, glad you went to the doc!

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@Simkie thank you, that is exactly what happened. And they called me today saying they could not get a result on the tick specimen so I have to go for a titer blood draw in six weeks. But no bullseye rash…

I’ve had lyme twice with no bullseye and never saw the tick :frowning: They are SO small!

Hopefully you are fine! I was shocked at just how bad I felt the first time. :open_mouth:

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Interesting. A single dose, especially if it was a deer tick, sounds like it makes sense. A full course of Doxy for a single tick bite as a preventative worried me so I’m glad that’s not what OP meant.

I grew up in PA and if I got antibiotics for every tick bite I would have been on them for probably 12 years straight. I had tick bites all the time as a kid. I did eventually get Lyme and don’t get me wrong that’s no joke, but neither is antibiotic resistance.

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