What injection should be given if bitten by a tick? - briefly
A single 200 mg dose of doxycycline given within 72 hours of tick removal is recommended for Lyme‑disease prophylaxis in endemic regions. If the patient cannot take doxycycline, a comparable regimen of azithromycin may be used.
What injection should be given if bitten by a tick? - in detail
A tick bite that has been removed should be evaluated for the risk of Lyme disease, other tick‑borne infections, and for standard wound prophylaxis.
Antibiotic prophylaxis for Lyme disease
- Indicated when the tick is identified as Ixodes scapularis or Ixodes pacificus, has been attached for ≥36 hours, and the encounter occurs in a region where the infection rate in ticks exceeds 20 %.
- A single oral dose of doxycycline 200 mg is administered within 72 hours of removal.
- If doxycycline is contraindicated (e.g., pregnancy, allergy, age < 8 years), amoxicillin 500 mg orally three times daily for 21 days is the alternative; cefuroxime axetil 500 mg twice daily for 21 days is another option.
Tetanus prophylaxis
- For a puncture or deep skin breach, assess tetanus immunization status.
- If the patient has not received a tetanus‑containing vaccine within the previous 10 years, a tetanus toxoid‑containing injection (Td or Tdap) is given.
- If the last dose was administered ≥5 years ago and the wound is dirty, a booster is recommended.
Rabies considerations
- Routine rabies vaccination is not required after a tick bite.
- If the tick was removed from a known rabid animal or from a species with a high rabies prevalence, initiate the rabies post‑exposure regimen (four doses of rabies vaccine on days 0, 3, 7, 14, plus rabies immune globulin if indicated).
Follow‑up
- Observe the bite site for erythema, expanding rash, fever, arthralgia, or neurological signs.
- Promptly seek medical evaluation if any symptoms develop; early treatment of Lyme disease with oral doxycycline (100 mg twice daily for 10–14 days) improves outcomes.
The primary injection recommended after a tick bite is the tetanus toxoid booster when immunization is outdated; antibiotic prophylaxis for Lyme disease is administered orally, not by injection.