Pulled a tick off my DH this morning. What does he need to do now?

[Anonymous]

There is a lab in Germantown that will test the tick fo you. I found an engorged tick on my toddler and had it tested.

http://www.clongen.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&Itemid=97

[Anonymous]

The rash does not always appear. Call doctor. I brought two engorged ticks in that I had on me to my doctor. They gave me a script for a hollis dose of the antibiotics and tested the ticks. It is standard practice for my doctor.

[Anonymous]

^^ Bolus dose^^ sorry for typo

[Anonymous]

Overuse of antibiotics are effecting us all. We are close to entering into a post-antibiotic world simply because we are overusing antibiotics both on ourselves and in the farm industry. For Pete's sake, stop being so self-centered people. Do not take antibiotics prophylactically. A mere tick bite does not warrant drugs "just in case". Btw, OP, the tick you described is most likely a dog tick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Overuse of antibiotics are effecting us all. We are close to entering into a post-antibiotic world simply because we are overusing antibiotics both on ourselves and in the farm industry. For Pete's sake, stop being so self-centered people. Do not take antibiotics prophylactically. A mere tick bite does not warrant drugs "just in case". Btw, OP, the tick you described is most likely a dog tick.

You probably don't know anyone with severe Lyme. I know close to a dozen people with it and it's worth the antibiotic risk. I am the person who does everything to avoid antibiotics unless it's an emergency and I would take them as a precaution to avoid Lyme. That said, I agree that what OP described does not sound like a deer tic.

[Anonymous]

Actually, I do. Antibiotics "just in case" is irresponsible and unwarranted.

[Anonymous]

If the tick was "Pea sized" then it wasn't a deer tick. Your DH is fine. I've pulled many deer ticks off my son, and they are tiny. Teeny tiny. Hard to spot actually.

[Anonymous]

Agree that it sounds like a dog tick, not a deer tick.
As someone who has had Lyme disease, just watch for the bullseye (will be in the spot that the tick was feeding) and if he starts to feel terrible. I felt like I was going to collapse--when I couldn't lift my arm up to put my pocketbook on my shoulder that's when I knew something was really not right.
The risk of Lyme increases with exposure--the longer it was on the higher the risk. I had a tick on me for over 36 hrs and didn't know.
The tests for Lyme (at least a decade ago) were not tremendously sensitive--I think both for false negatives and false positives. They do a couple of different tests, I believe, if they really suspect it (or not), but have ambivalent findings.
They will not (and should not) give you prophylactic antibiotics. They need to stage it, if you do have it, and that will govern what antibiotics you get and for how long. The risk of prophylactic anbx is not worth the marginal benefit.

[Anonymous]

[b]

Anonymous wrote:You can do a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline within 48 hours of removing the tick which has a 90% prevention rate. Call your doctor.

THIS.

[Anonymous]

20:59 here. Here is the standing recommendation regarding prophylactic antibiotics:

For prevention of Lyme disease after a recognized tick bite, routine use of antimicrobial prophylaxis or serologic testing is not recommended (E-III). A single dose of doxycycline may be offered to adult patients (200 mg dose) and to children 8 years of age (4 mg/kg up to a maximum dose of 200 mg) (B-I) when all of the following circumstances exist: (a) the attached tick can be reliably identified as an adult or nymphal I. scapularis tick that is estimated to have been attached for 36 h on the basis of the degree of engorgement of the tick with blood or of certainty about the time of exposure to the tick; (b) prophylaxis can be started within 72 h of the time that the tick was removed; (c) ecologic information indicates that the local rate of infection of these ticks with B. burgdorferi is 20%; and (d) doxycycline treatment is not contraindicated.

[Anonymous]

My husband is a doctor and highly recommends taking antibiotics, you should contact your Dr. Lyme disease can be very painful and debilitating, it's better to be safe than sorry. It's not worth the risk to not get on some antibiotics prophylactically.

[Anonymous]

I'm a doctor too and I think antibiotics for this situation would be crazy. Sounds like the tick in question was pretty clearly NOT a deer tick (the type that carries Lyme). Most of the ticks found in this area are Dog/wood ticks and don't carry a Lyme disease risk.

"Pea-sized" is much bigger than a deer tick.

CDC recommendations are accurate and based on the best current science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overuse of antibiotics are effecting us all. We are close to entering into a post-antibiotic world simply because we are overusing antibiotics both on ourselves and in the farm industry. For Pete's sake, stop being so self-centered people. Do not take antibiotics prophylactically. A mere tick bite does not warrant drugs "just in case". Btw, OP, the tick you described is most likely a dog tick.

You probably don't know anyone with severe Lyme. I know close to a dozen people with it and it's worth the antibiotic risk. I am the person who does everything to avoid antibiotics unless it's an emergency and I would take them as a precaution to avoid Lyme. That said, I agree that what OP described does not sound like a deer tic.

A dozen people with severe Lyme????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous



My husband is a doctor and highly recommends taking antibiotics, you should contact your Dr. Lyme disease can be very painful and debilitating, it's better to be safe than sorry. It's not worth the risk to not get on some antibiotics prophylactically.
[code]

Then your husband is not only irresponsible; he is not following protocol and he is contributing to the problems we all will be facing due to overprescribing antibiotics. Imagine a world where people die from minor infections because we no longer have antibiotics capable of frighting them. Read the literature it is a real possibility. Just stop already. We do not need to use antibiotics "just in case". It is selfish and a danger to society and doctors like your husband are part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overuse of antibiotics are effecting us all. We are close to entering into a post-antibiotic world simply because we are overusing antibiotics both on ourselves and in the farm industry. For Pete's sake, stop being so self-centered people. Do not take antibiotics prophylactically. A mere tick bite does not warrant drugs "just in case". Btw, OP, the tick you described is most likely a dog tick.

You probably don't know anyone with severe Lyme. I know close to a dozen people with it and it's worth the antibiotic risk. I am the person who does everything to avoid antibiotics unless it's an emergency and I would take them as a precaution to avoid Lyme. That said, I agree that what OP described does not sound like a deer tic.

A dozen people with severe Lyme????

I live in Clarendon and I know 5 people that tested positive for Lyme after a tick. One child has had many longer lasting symptoms. None had the classic bulls-eye rash. The other 4, luckily, have not had the long-lasting symptoms. I have a co-worker that has serious nerve damage, and autoimmune issues from Lyme infection. It's realy ugly if it does happen