The best way to treat lyme disease is to use antibiotics as early as possible. The symptoms can be seen within weeks or a month of the bite. These signs include a small bump that is characteristic of a rash around where the tick bit. The rush may spread to other areas on your skin. The rash is characterized by a bulls eye appearance with a clear red ring surrounding it. Flu like symptoms like headache and body aches, chills, fatigue and fever will be experienced as well.

There are other signs that will develop in the latter stages. This is indicative of a progressive attack by the bacteria. Experts know how to treat lyme disease before it gets worse and spreads the rash to other areas. Secondary symptoms will take several weeks or up to a month to appear.

Antibiotics will be administered after the doctor ascertains the presence of the bacteria through tests. Seeking early treatment leads to quicker recovery. Early treatment is done through oral antibiotics.

Adults and children over 8 years are given as dose of doxycycline or amoxicillin. Cefuroxime is the best option if children are below 8 years. Pregnant and breast feeding mothers are also treated using cefuroxime. The duration of treatment ranges between 14 and 21 days though there are cases where 10 to 14 days of antibiotic administration have proven effective.

If the disease has spread to the nervous system, an intravenous injection is recommended. The injection will be administered for 14 to 28 days in order to clear the bacteria. This is because of the difficulty of eliminating the bacteria in this area. When administered, you can expect such side effects as reduction in white blood cells count, diarrhea and the presence of antibiotic resistant micro organisms in the body.

Despite continued treatment, some of the symptoms that do not go away include fatigue and muscle aches. This does not mean that the antibiotics do not work. The phenomenon is attributed to autoimmune response by the body. Researchers are working to unravel this mystery.

The use of Bismacine is yet to receive full approval from Food and Drugs Administration. This is a common prescription by alternative practitioners. Its high concentration of bismuth metal is the main cause. It may lead to poisoning or predispose the patient to conditions such as kidney failure and heart diseases.

Prevention measures include avoidance of tick infested areas. Such are patches with long grass, wooded sections and bushes. You are advised to use long sleeved shirts and pants when working or walking around bushes and areas that are possibly infested.

Insect repellants work incredibly well to reduce exposure to the bacteria. The repellant you choose should contain a higher percentage of DEET. The eyes, hands and mouth should be avoided when applying such repellants. There are pretreated clothes or permethrin may be applied on ordinary ones.

Regularly disinfected yards are considered safer and effective in keeping ticks off your skin. Other measures include clearing bushing and storing woodpiles in the sun. Pets must be disinfected on regular basis and living areas maintained in a very clean state. Tweezers should be used to remove the ticks when it bites your and antiseptic applied on the wound.