Which antibiotics help with Lyme disease?

Because Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, it is treated with antibiotics. A thirty-day course of antibiotics should, according to CBO guidelines, be sufficient to kill the Lyme bacteria in the body, but in most cases a shorter course is enough to cure it. However, this does depend on the stage of the bacterial infection. The sooner Lyme disease is recognized, the better and faster the patient can be cured.

Once Lyme disease is diagnosed, treatment generally involves the antibiotic doxycycline, taken twice a day at a dose of 100 mg for ten days. In some cases, treatment with amoxicillin is chosen. This antibiotic course is especially recommended for children who are no older than nine years.

The issue with Lyme disease is that a course of antibiotics does not always help. Antibiotics are often effective if the Lyme infection is still in an early stage, but if Lyme disease is recognized at a later stage, treatment with antibiotics is less effective. Sometimes, antibiotics even have a negative effect on the body, causing patients to suffer more. For this reason, alternatives to antibiotic therapy are being sought. A lot of research is being done, but for the time being, no alternatives are offered.