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Advice for a friend who found a tick on himself

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Lyme Disease
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Posted 5/27/2009 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
A friend who recently moved to upstate New York just told me he found a tick on his leg on Monday.  He saved the tick and had his doctor from Queens call in an antibiotic to the pharmacy.  Should he still be tested?  Should he save the tick and if so what should he do with it?  What is the best antibiotic and how long should he take it to be safe?
Posted 5/27/2009 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
He can send the tick to IGeneX for Lyme testing. See http://www.igenex.com/ for info.

Testing at this early stage is going to be negative unless they biopsy or culture the bite site (and even then, may still be negative) - it is too early for there to be enough detectable antibodies.

Doxycycline is considered the best abx; probably should take it for at least 4 weeks to be safe. The dose needs to be high enough, too...most rx 200mg/day but I think it is supposed to be 400-600mg/day to be more effective...
Posted 5/27/2009 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Razzle. I'll pass this info along to him immediately.
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