What should be injected for a tick? - briefly
A single dose of doxycycline (200 mg for adults, 4 mg/kg for children) is recommended for prophylaxis after a tick bite. The medication should be administered within 72 hours of removal.
What should be injected for a tick? - in detail
After a tick attachment, the primary pharmacologic intervention is a single dose of doxycycline, 200 mg taken orally within 72 hours of removal. This regimen reduces the risk of early Lyme disease by more than 80 % when the bite occurs in endemic areas and the tick has been attached for at least 36 hours. The dose is administered on an empty stomach with a full glass of water; patients with known hypersensitivity to tetracyclines, pregnant or lactating women, and children under eight years should avoid this medication.
If doxycycline is contraindicated, alternatives include a 5‑day course of amoxicillin 500 mg three times daily or a 5‑day course of cefuroxime axetil 500 mg twice daily. Both options are effective for early Borrelia infection but require adherence to the full treatment duration.
In regions where tick‑borne encephalitis (TBE) is prevalent, a licensed inactivated TBE vaccine should be administered according to the local schedule, typically a three‑dose series with the first two doses spaced one month apart and a booster after 12–24 months.
For patients presenting with a rash characteristic of erythema migrans or systemic symptoms suggestive of acute infection, extended antibiotic therapy is indicated. Recommended regimens include doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 10–21 days, or amoxicillin 500 mg three times daily for the same period.
Prophylactic treatment is unnecessary when the tick is removed within 24 hours, the attachment site is in a non‑endemic region, or the tick species is not known to transmit pathogenic organisms. In such cases, careful observation for signs of infection over a four‑week period is sufficient.
Key considerations:
- Initiate doxycycline promptly, not later than 72 hours after removal.
- Verify patient eligibility for tetracycline therapy before prescribing.
- Use amoxicillin or cefuroxime when doxycycline is unsuitable.
- Consider TBE vaccination in high‑risk locales.
- Reserve extended antibiotic courses for confirmed or highly suspected infection.
- Monitor patients without prophylaxis for emerging symptoms.