Key takeaways
- In areas where Lyme disease is common, a doctor might prescribe a single dose of doxycycline after a tick bite if the tick appears engorged and the bite occurred within the last 72 hours.
- The typical dose of doxycycline to prevent Lyme disease after a tick bite is 200 mg for adults and 4.4 mg/kg for children under 99 pounds.
- Common side effects of doxycycline are usually mild and temporary, but more serious side effects are possible, so it’s important to discuss any concerns with your doctor.
Overview
Doxycycline is a prescription medication doctors use to treat various bacterial infections. Doctors may also prescribe it after a tick bite to help treat or prevent Lyme disease. It is an antibiotic that comes in multiple forms, including:
- oral tablet
- oral capsule
- delayed-release tablet
- oral suspension
Doxycycline is a generic drug, but it also comes in brand-name versions, including Acticlate, Doryx, and Doryx MPC.
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Should I take doxycycline after a tick bite?
If you’ve been bitten by a tick, your doctor may prescribe doxycycline in certain situations.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) typically does not recommend that a person should take antibiotics after tick bites to prevent tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease.
However, if you’ve been bitten by a tick in a region of the country where Lyme disease is more common, and the tick that bit you looked engorged with blood, not flat, your doctor may recommend that you take a single dose of doxycycline to help prevent Lyme disease.
A doctor will most likely only prescribe doxycycline if the tick bite occurred within the last 72 hours. This is because the incubation period for Lyme disease is 72 hours long. Note that an incubation period is the amount of time between exposure to an infectious disease and the start of symptoms.
If a tick didn’t bite you in a region where Lyme disease is common, or the tick that you removed was flat, your doctor will likely recommend that you watch carefully for symptoms of Lyme disease for the next 30 days. Symptoms include fever, joint pain, and rash.
What is the dosage of doxycycline for Lyme disease?
If your doctor prescribes doxycycline to help prevent Lyme disease after a tick bite, they will most likely prescribe a single 200 milligram (mg) dose. For children who weigh under 45 kilograms (kg) or 99 pounds (lb), the dosage will likely be 4.4 mg/kg. For reference 1 kg = 2.2 lb
If you start to develop symptoms of Lyme disease, your doctor may prescribe doxycycline as follows:
- Erythema migrans rash: The “bulls-eye” rash shows up in over 70% of people with Lyme disease and is the most common symptom of early Lyme disease.
- The dosage for this rash in adults is usually 100 mg twice per day for 10 to 14 days. For children, the dosage is usually 4.4 mg/kg per day, divided into two doses for 10 to 14 days.
- Neurologic Lyme disease: Neurological symptoms most often occur a few weeks or months after a tick bite. They occur when the Lyme disease bacteria affect your nervous system.
- Symptoms may include numbness, pain, weakness, paralysis in certain parts of the face, visual disturbances, fever, stiff neck, and severe headache.
- Depending on your symptoms, the dosage may be between 100 and 200 mg taken once or twice per day, for 14 to 21 days for adults. For children, the dosage may be 4.4 mg/kg per day, divided into one or two doses, for 14 to 21 days.
- Lyme carditis: People with Lyme carditis usually have other symptoms of Lyme disease, such as the bulls-eye rash, fever, and body aches. Lyme carditis occurs when Lyme disease bacteria enter the tissues of the heart. The bacteria can interfere with the movement of electrical signals from your heart’s upper to lower chambers. It can cause lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, or chest pain.
- The typical dosage for adults with Lyme carditis is 100 mg, twice per day, for 14 to 21 days. For children, the dosage is typically 4.4 mg/kg per day, in two doses, for 14 to 21 days.
- Lyme arthritis: Lyme arthritis typically develops within one to a few months after a tick bite. This occurs when Lyme disease bacteria enter the joint tissue. With Lyme arthritis, you may experience swelling or painful movement of one or a few joints. The knees are most commonly affected, but your shoulder, ankle, elbow, jaw, hip, or wrist may also be affected.
- The dosage for Lyme arthritis in adults is typically 100 mg twice per day for 28 days. For children, the dosage is typically 4.4 mg/kg per day in two doses, for 28 days.
Note that doctors do not prescribe doxycycline to children under the age of 8 years. Instead of doxycycline, they will likely prescribe a different antibiotic, such as amoxicillin or cefuroxime.
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Get free cardAre there side effects from doxycycline?
Some of the more common side effects of doxycycline may include:
- mild diarrhea
- nausea
- vomiting
- loss of appetite
- itchy skin
- sun sensitivity
- tooth discoloration in children
Although it is less common, doxycycline may also cause more serious side effects, such as:
- blood cell problems, including hemolytic anemia (destruction of red blood cells) and low blood platelet levels
- Clostridioides difficile infection
- increased pressure in the fluid around your brain
- liver damage
- irritation and ulcers in your esophagus
- severe allergic reactions
Doxycycline’s side effects are usually temporary, mild, and typically go away on their own. If you experience any side effects that don’t go away or start to bother you while taking doxycycline, talk to your doctor.
Summary
If a tick has bitten you, your doctor may prescribe you doxycycline, but only in certain cases. It will depend on how recently the tick bit you, whether it bit you in an area where Lyme disease is common, and if you are already experiencing Lyme disease symptoms.
The dosage of doxycycline your doctor will prescribe for a tick bite or Lyme disease will depend on what symptoms you are experiencing.
It’s important to take doxycycline exactly as your doctor prescribes it to help avoid side effects.
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