Lyme disease - Treating Lyme disease

Oral antibiotics (tablets, capsules and liquids) are recommended for treating Lyme disease. Most people will require a two- to four-week course depending on the stage of the condition.

If you are prescribed antibiotics, it is important you finish the course even if you are feeling better because this will ensure all the bacteria are destroyed.

If your symptoms are particularly severe and include arthritis or neurological conditions, antibiotic injections (intravenous antibiotics) may be used. Most people with later symptoms of Lyme disease will require a course of intravenous antibiotics.

Some of the antibiotics used to treat Lyme disease (both oral and intravenous) can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight (photosensitivity). You should check the leaflet that comes with your medication to see if this is the case.

Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and do not use tanning equipment until after you have finished the course.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

As a general rule antibiotics tend not to be prescribed during pregnancy as a precaution in case they affect the development of the baby.

However, if a positive diagnosis of Lyme disease is made then you may be prescribed antibiotics thought to be safe to use during pregnancy, such as azithromycin or clarithromycin.

If antibiotics cannot be prescribed then follow-up appointments will be made to check on your symptoms.

The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that cause Lyme disease cannot be passed on through breast milk, so it is safe to breastfeed if you have Lyme disease.