Lyme disease treatment usually consists of antibiotic therapy. Timely treatment of the illness increases chances of recovery and may lessen the severity of any later symptoms that can occur. The long-term prognosis for most patients treated with antibiotics is excellent. Delay in treatment can result in complications. Lyme Disease affects each person differently. Thus, any given Lyme Disease treatment may work for one individual but not for another. The most effective treatment will be recommended by your physician and will depend on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis.
Treatment for later stages is more difficult often requiring extended and repeated courses of antibiotic therapy. There is no universally effective antibiotic for treating Lyme Disease. The choice of medication used and the dosage prescribed will vary for different people based on multiple factors. These include duration and severity of illness, presence of co-infections, immune deficiencies, prior significant immunosuppressant use while infected, age, weight, gastrointestinal function, blood levels achieved, and patient tolerance. Doses of antibiotics found to be effective clinically for Lyme Disease are often higher than those recommended in older texts.
Some doctors may prescribe an anti-inflammatory medication such as Celebrex if joint inflammation is present, however this is not a cure but rather a pain modifier. Celebrex is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID) that is used to reduce pain and inflammation.
Treatment for later stages of Lyme Disease can be quite costly, especially if you are without health insurance or if your insurance company will not cover the medications that you were prescribed.
The treatment of Lyme Disease has become a battleground where the interests of patients, physicians, researchers and insurance companies collide. Academic researchers who wrote the Lyme disease guidelines maintain the infection is rare, easily diagnosed and cured with two to four weeks of antibiotics. This group also claims that chronic Lyme disease doesn't exist. The opposing camp is represented by physicians who argue that Lyme disease is not rare, and tick bites often go unnoticed resulting in a delay of treatment.