Antibiotics from a tick bite - methods of use, indications, contraindications, side effects

Welcome to the pages of my blog! To detect a tick after a walk in a park or forest is very unpleasant. It is unlikely that someone will like the procedure of removing a tick from the skin, and the consequences may not be the most rosy.

Ideally, of course, the tick should be passed to the doctors for analysis, and you should turn to them for help yourself. However, I am often asked what antibiotics from a tick bite can be drunk so as not to get sick. I tried to answer this question as detailed as possible in my material below!

Antibiotics from a tick bite - methods of use, indications

If a tick is bitten and infection is detected according to the results of the analyzes, the patient is given immunotherapy based on the doctor’s prescriptions. Further treatment depends on the type of pathogen that has entered the body.

Therapy of tick-borne encephalitis patients

Specific methods for the treatment of tick-borne encephalitis today do not exist. If there are signs of damage to the central nervous system, the victim must be hospitalized to provide him with medical care. The treatment regimen includes:

• Bed rest during the entire time of the fever and a week after its completion.
• In the early days of the disease, the introduction of immunoglobulin is indicated. To achieve the best result, it is necessary to apply the product as soon as possible, preferably in the first three days after a tick bite.
• In general cases, the patient is prescribed corticosteroid drugs, blood substitutes.
• When meningitis is administered, increased doses of vitamins B and C.
• If respiratory function worsens, the victim is shown mechanical ventilation.
• In the recovery period, the patient is prescribed nootropics, tranquilizers and mock testosterone.

Antibiotics may be prescribed as an adjunct to the main treatment for a bite victim. Antimicrobial drugs are used to suppress pathogenic microflora, which can cause various complications.

Therapy of patients with borreliosis

Treatment for Lyme borreliosis involves taking antibiotics. They are used to suppress spirochetes - pathogens. The most commonly used drugs are the penicillin series and cephalosporins. For the relief of erythema, antimicrobial agents of the tetracycline group are prescribed.

When neurological disorders occur, the victim is hospitalized. In the hospital, complex therapy is carried out, including:

1. blood substitutes;
2. corticosteroids;
3. testosterone simulators;
4. nootropic drugs to improve cerebral circulation;
5. vitamin complexes.

The outcome of borreliosis depends on the timely detection of a tick bite, the correct diagnosis and the early initiation of therapy. Illiterate treatment often leads to the chronic phase of Lyme disease, which stops with great difficulty and can result in disability or death of the victim.

Attention. For the treatment of protozoal infections, drugs are used that exclude the further growth and development of protozoa.

Complications after a tick bite

Summarizing all of the above, it is possible to draw a very disappointing conclusion about the consequences of a tick bite. As you can see, infections affect the most important body systems:

• lungs - with the development of symptoms of pneumonia and pulmonary hemorrhage;
• liver - there is a digestive disorder, problems with stool (diarrhea);
• CNS - with frequent headaches, hallucinations, paresis and paralysis;
• cardiovascular system - arrhythmia appears, jumps in blood pressure;
• joints - arthritis and arthralgia are formed.

The consequences of a tick bite can develop in two ways. With a favorable outcome, loss of working capacity, weakness and lethargy lasts 2-3 months, then all body functions are normalized.

With an ailment of moderate severity, recovery lasts up to six months or longer. A serious form of the disease requires a rehabilitation period of up to 2-3 years, provided that the disease progressed without paralysis and paresis.

Persistent violations in the form of epileptic manifestations and spontaneous convulsions lead to the patient's disability.

Disability as a result of a tick bite

As you know, there are 3 groups of disabilities. The degree of damage to the body after a tick bite is determined by a special medical commission:

1. Disability of the III group - mild paresis of the hands and feet, rare epileptic seizures, the inability to perform highly qualified and requiring precision and attention work.
2. Disability of the II group - bright paresis of the limbs, partial paresis of the muscles, severe epilepsy with a change in the psyche, asthenic syndrome, loss of self-care ability.
3. Group I disability - acquired dementia, severe impaired motor function, persistent and complete epilepsy, widespread muscle paresis, loss of self-control and the impossibility of independent movement.

In severe cases, with inadequate treatment of infections caused by a tick bite or complete absence of therapy, a fatal outcome is possible.

Tick ​​bite prevention

The main and main measure for the prevention of diseases transmitted by bloodsuckers is vaccination. The event significantly reduces the risk of infection after tick bites. Vaccination is necessary for people living in epidemiologically hazardous areas or people whose work is related to forestry.

Primary vaccination is allowed from an early age. Adults can use domestic and imported drugs, for children - only imported ones. They should not buy the vaccine themselves and bring them to the vaccination room.

All the same, they will not drive her. The drug requires very strict storage rules, compliance with a certain temperature and light conditions, which is impossible to perform at home. Therefore, it makes no sense to purchase an expensive drug and store it in the refrigerator.

There are two vaccination options:

• Preventive vaccination. Helps protect against tick bites during the year, and after additional vaccination - at least 3 years.Revaccinations are carried out every three years.
• Emergency vaccination. Allows you to protect yourself from tick bites for a short time. For example, such a procedure will be necessary for urgent trips to regions with high tick activity. While in epidemiologically hazardous areas, iodantipyrine is recommended.

The introduction of the vaccine is carried out only after a detailed survey, visual inspection and temperature measurement. Persons with inflammatory diseases are not vaccinated until they recover completely.

How to protect yourself from a tick bite

Going to an unfavorable zone, you should choose clothes of light colors:

1. a shirt or jacket with cuffs and a tight-fitting collar, trousers tucked into boots;
2. Encephalitis suit;
3. dense hood with ties that protects the ears and neck from ticks;
4. clothing should preferably be treated with insecticides.

During hiking, it is recommended to avoid ravines and tall grass, it is better to go in the middle of the path. After leaving the forest, you must carefully examine yourself for ticks. In this case, it becomes possible to detect and remove the parasite before a bite.

To repel mites, special insecticides based on DETA are available, but repellents are not effective enough and require application every 2 hours. They can handle open areas of the body and clothes.

Attention. Often on sale there are acaricides for application to the skin. However, they should be used very carefully. A severe allergic reaction and poisoning are possible.

Tick ​​bites are increasingly being treated with antibiotics, even in the absence of symptoms of borreliosis

The negative consequences of taking antibiotics are inferior to the harm from borreliosis. Ticks in recent years have been found even in those regions of Finland where they have not previously been encountered. At the same time, awareness and even fear regarding bacteria carried by them increased among people.

For example, Borrelia bacteria can be transmitted to a person with a tick bite and cause an infectious disease called Borreliosis, or Lyme disease. A typical symptom of borreliosis is inflammation, accompanied by annular redness around the site of the tick bite. Similar inflammations are treated with antibiotics.

The situation is somewhat different in areas where ticks are very common.

According to the chief doctor of the medical center in Pietarsaari, with suspected borreliosis, the harm from taking antibiotics is not significant compared to the disease itself. In Pietarsaari there are more cases of borreliosis infection than in the whole Central Pohyanmaa region.

Each year, in the northern regions, several dozen cases of borreliosis are detected. This year, 27 cases are recorded in the Office's registry, of which 25 are in the Vaasa health district and 2 in Central Pohyanmaa. In Pohjanmaa, no diseases have been reported this year.

However, there may be more infections, as the registry contains cases of infection diagnosed only in the public health system.

Do you know what antibiotics urgently need to be taken with a tick bite

Summer is a particularly “tasty" period for a tick. After all, this is an active season for summer residents and mushroom pickers, who often become victims of an insect. How to protect yourself from ticks? What are the first measures to take after a bite?

Statistics is relentless

Every year in Belarus, about 50 thousand people become victims of ticks.In Salihorsk, for the first half of 2019, 233 cases were registered. The same number of bites marked the first half of 2018.

The most dangerous area to stay in Soligorsk district is the forest zone - 89 cases. In villages and towns, 68 cases of bites occurred. In suburban suburban areas - 16 victims.

47 applicants failed to establish the territory of the bite. We note that not every tick carries a threat to human health.

Out of 130 mites brought to the sanitary and epidemiological station for research, Lyme borreliosis disease was detected in 60 ticks in the Soligorsk region. When compared with the same period in 2018, there is a decrease in infected ticks by 5%.

Cases of tick-borne encephalitis in the territory of the Soligorsk region are not registered.

Possible effects of a tick bite

Ticks are carriers of many dangerous diseases with terrible consequences for life. The most common are tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme borreliosis.

Tick-borne encephalitis affects the central nervous system, skin, musculoskeletal system and heart. The virus with tick saliva enters a person and spreads to other parts of the skin and internal organs within a few days.

From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms, 3 to 32 days pass. If you don’t ask for help on time, and then everything can end in paralysis or even death.

Lyme borreliosis is characterized by damage to the central nervous and cardiovascular systems, musculoskeletal system, and general intoxication of the body.

The first symptoms appear after 7 to 10 days. At the site of the bite, redness appears, similar to a ring. There is weakness and nausea. Sensitivity in the bite area is impaired.

You need to know

Even if a bitten insect is a carrier of infection, this does not mean that a person will get sick. It is necessary to check the state of health by passing a blood test.

Once on the skin, the tick sticks to the body after 5-30 minutes. If it was removed after it was sucked, the risk of contracting tick-borne infections cannot be ruled out. Treatment for a bite should begin in the next 72 hours.

Of antibiotics, infectious disease doctors usually prescribe doxycycline for children from 8 years old and adults with a single dose. And for children under 8 years of age - amoxicillin, according to the instructions. In a pharmacy, these drugs are sold over the counter. Antibiotics alone should be started in the next 72 hours.

A new tick bite disease

Swedish scientists warn, according to TASS, that in addition to encephalitis and borreliosis, a tick bite can lead to a new disease - babesiosis.

However, if the person himself is healthy enough and has strong immunity, the symptoms may disappear on their own. The danger of this disease is that parasites can be in the human body for a long time - up to several years. And if the patient’s immunity is reduced, then a fatal outcome is likely.

Protection against a dangerous disease

To protect yourself from the disease you need to follow preventive measures.

The most reliable and effective measure of protection against tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for Lyme borreliosis.Workers who work in the forest are vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis free of charge. Those who want to prevent a possible disease should also be vaccinated, but already paid.

After a walk in a forest or park, first of all, carefully inspect the skin to make sure that you have not brought a new resident into the house.

First aid for a tick bite

The first thing to do is remove the insect from the bite as soon as possible. Here are a few ways to properly remove the tick:

• after disinfection of the site of suction of the tick, pick it up with a sterile needle from a disposable syringe and remove it like an ordinary splinter, followed by treatment with iodine;
• throw a loop of thread on the head of the tick and carefully, so as not to tear off the proboscis, twisting it, pull it out of the skin. The suction point can be treated with iodine, brilliant green, or hydrogen peroxide, sealed with a plaster.

Next, be sure to consult a doctor for medical help. After this, it is necessary to examine the insect for the presence of the pathogen of tick-borne borreliosis. This procedure is carried out in the laboratory of the State Institution “Soligorsk Zonal TsGiE” at the request of a citizen for a fee.

There is still a whole month of summer ahead, which I would like to spend with pleasure, so do not forget to observe preventive measures and remember that the most important thing with a tick bite is the timely access to medical care.

Infectious Disease Signs

Approximately 10-15% of ticks are carriers of various infectious diseases, and sometimes several at once. If you are bitten by this parasite, it is important to know what symptoms indicate these diseases.

Tick-borne encephalitis

As already mentioned, in the period from 4 days to 2 weeks, this infection may not manifest itself in any way. But after this period, a person begins to burn from a fever with a temperature of up to 38–39 degrees, to feel severe soreness in the muscles and eyes.

The infected person is tormented by nausea, vomiting, severe headaches. Redness of the face, neck, hands, upper chest and eyes is noted.

After the acute phase, a break occurs when the patient becomes much easier. But it is precisely at this time that irreversible changes can occur in the central nervous system and brain. Since the listed symptoms are almost identical to the signs of influenza, it is very important to consult a doctor immediately if it appears.

Borreliosis (Lyme disease)

As mentioned above, the first thing that indicates this disease is a rash of a specific type of large sizes (from 10 to 60 cm in diameter) - annular erythema.

A bitten person may feel itching, burning, pain at the puncture site. Such a rash can last from several days to several months. Gradually, the border of spots becomes swollen and as if convex.

After the occurrence of cyanosis, the bite site begins to scar, and a crust appears on it, which falls off over time. About 14 days after the bite, the skin becomes healthy looking. After the rash appears, the first stage of the disease begins, lasting 3-30 days. At this time, infected:

1. feels muscle pain, weakness, pain in the head;
2. gets tired quickly;
3. Suffers from a sore throat and a runny nose;
4. Feels nauseous and stiff muscles on the neck.

After this active phase, the patient forgets about the disease for almost a month. At this time, damage to the joints and heart occurs.

In the period of absence of visible symptoms, the latent form of Lyme disease begins, the serious consequences of which appear only after a few months.

Monocytic Ehrlichiosis

This infection, which enters the body with tick saliva, was first detected in 1987. Its danger is that it provokes inflammatory processes in various internal organs, moreover, a person can both fully recover and die, depending on the course of the disease.

The incubation period is from 1 to 21 days, and the acute phase of the disease can last 2-3 weeks. Symptoms of ehrlichiosis resemble a cold - a strong fever (up to 39-40 degrees) with chills, dizziness, pain in the head, muscles and joints, as well as abdominal pain (in the abdomen).

If the nervous system is affected, the infected person may feel:

• nausea
• dizziness;
• increased sensitivity to any external stimuli (hyperesthesia);
• facial nerve insufficiency;
• serous inflammation of the soft membranes of the brain (aseptic meningitis).

About a third of all cases of ehrlichiosis are characterized by a two-wave course of the disease.

Some patients have inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract (catarrhal phenomena). An extremely small percentage of those infected with this infection may suffer from a maculopapular rash on the body.

Antibiotics: How to drink them correctly when it is useless and when it is dangerous

With the advent of antibiotics - substances that inhibit the growth of bacteria and thereby stop the inflammatory process in the body caused by these bacteria - people stopped dying from numerous infectious diseases and began to live longer in general.

In addition, there is an increased risk of an adverse reaction, which may be more severe than the disease itself. How to take antibiotics when they are useless to drink, and in some cases dangerous, The Village found out from doctors.

How does an antibiotic work?

An antibiotic is a complex chemical compound. It acts on the bacterial cell, destroying the cell wall, nucleus or other components.

The virus, unlike a bacterium, does not have a cell - only a chain of DNA or RNA and a protein coat around it, which means that an antibiotic cannot affect it.

Acute pharyngitis (an inflammatory process in the throat) is most often caused by viruses, and antibiotics are powerless here. An exception is streptococcal pharyngitis (streptococcal tonsillitis), which cannot be cured without an antibacterial agent.

When antibiotic prophylaxis is needed

Drinking an antibiotic, for example, with acute respiratory viral infections in the hope of preventing bacterial complications (sinusitis, otitis media, pneumonia) is fundamentally wrong.

Therapist of the clinic "Dawn" Marina Laur draws attention: an antibacterial drug is prescribed only in the case of confirmed bacterial complications, while early use of antibiotics for colds only increases the likelihood of bacterial complications.

The fact is that if the antibiotic was prescribed for prevention, it is too early, and the bacterial infection has nevertheless joined, then these will be other microorganisms - and the doctor will have to prescribe a second remedy with the antibiotic.

For prophylaxis, antibiotics are also prescribed to people with prosthetic heart valves before starting dental treatment or to patients with certain infections when there is still no accurate confirmation of infection. So, with a tick bite, an antibiotic is prescribed to prevent borreliosis (Lyme disease).

Another example of so-called postexposure prophylaxis is the administration of an antibiotic to a child who has had contact with a whooping cough or meningococcal infection. Such prevention interrupts the spread of the pathogen and reduces the risk of developing the disease.

Why antibiotics forbid

Antibacterial drugs are divided into groups, differ in their effect and undesirable effects. The severity of side effects and the likelihood of an allergy to the antibiotic are what affect the choice of an antibacterial drug in each case.

The reaction to the drug depends not only on the drug itself, but also on the patient's body. If a person has chronic diseases, their course may worsen while taking the prescribed antibiotic.

Therefore, it is so important to tell the doctor about concomitant diseases and the presence of allergies, even if it was a very long time.

Dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, bloating, loose stools are common manifestations in response to antibiotic therapy. But this is not the whole list of toxic reactions.

Some antibiotics are hepatotoxic (amphotericin, erythromycin) - worsen liver function and increase the risk of jaundice, and in the 60s taking antibiotics could even result in hearing loss. This is due to the substances of the aminoglycoside group: neomycin, streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, amikacin.

Previously, they treated intestinal infections (today they learned to solve this problem in a different way - usually without antibiotics).

Currently, old aminoglycosides are used extremely rarely and only for strict indications (for example, with purulent infections of the abdominal cavity and pelvis in combination with other means) - they were replaced by more modern and safe drugs.

“The cause of such diarrhea may be the activated Clostridium difficile, a large intestine bacterium that, under certain conditions (under the influence of an antibiotic), can actively multiply and become pathogenic microbes,” explains Marina Laur. “To solve the problem, it is necessary to drink other antimicrobials (metronidazole, vancomycin) that inhibit the growth of bacteria.”

A rare but very serious complication of antibiotic therapy is hematopoiesis

A rare, but very serious complication of antibiotic therapy is a violation of blood formation. It is caused by the antibiotic Levomycetin, which, due to its high toxicity, is not released in tablets and capsules in a number of countries, but Russia does not apply to them.

“In the past, Levomycetin was a great help in the fight against meningococcal infection, but now it has given way to more modern and less toxic antibiotics (third and fourth generation cephalosporins, carbapenems),” says Ekaterina Stepanova. - Sometimes people drink Levomycetinum in the treatment of diarrhea in the old manner, but this is not justified.

A fairly large group of antibacterial drugs is used in pediatrics. But there are antibiotics that are contraindicated in childhood because of the ability to influence growth and the lack of data on their safety.

For example, tetracycline antibiotics can not be taken up to nine years, fluoroquinolones - up to 15 years. When prescribing an antibiotic, the dose of the drug should be calculated taking into account the age and weight of the child.

With great caution, antibiotics should be taken by pregnant women, if you really can not do without such treatment (for example, in the case of pneumonia, pyelonephritis, cholecystitis).

During pregnancy, tetracyclines (can lead to impaired formation of bones, teeth in the fetus), aminoglycosides (can cause oto- and nephrotoxicity), as well as chloramphenicol, sulfonamides and nitrofurans, are absolutely contraindicated during pregnancy. Pregnant women are prescribed only relatively safe antibiotics officially authorized during pregnancy: penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides.

Bacteria that are not afraid of antibiotics

On the one hand, the advent of antibiotics brought about a real revolution: it became possible to cope with diseases that were previously considered incurable. So, since 1943, they learned how to effectively treat syphilis (its causative agent, pale treponema, is sensitive to penicillin).

Although at the present time difficulties may arise. “In recent years, the number of patients with syphilis has increased, because people often do not use condoms during intercourse,” says Ekaterina Stepanova.

- In addition, many do not know that syphilis is transmitted during oral sex, and with deep kisses, if there are ulcers on the oral mucosa.

On the other hand, bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a big problem in medicine. Microbes mutate, and forms of bacteria appear on which existing antibiotics no longer act. As a result, the effectiveness of habitual drugs is markedly reduced, and new drugs appear extremely rarely.

Pills or injections - which is better

The effectiveness of an antibiotic depends on the sensitivity of the pathogen to it, and the form of administration on bioavailability. Most antibacterial drugs are available in tablets, capsules, and for children in suspensions.

“In most cases, these forms are the most suitable. Effectively, relatively safely and does not require additional costs, ”explains Valentin Kovalev.

But intramuscular injections are rather a relic of the Soviet era: antibiotics are not administered like that in the civilized world. ”

“There are drugs that are poorly absorbed when taken by mouth, and they are injected,” adds Ekaterina Stepanova. - As a rule, these are the so-called reserve antibiotics (very strong antibiotics). This is probably why the myth appeared that intramuscular drugs act faster and better.

But this is not so. Most diseases are successfully treated with antibiotics in tablets.And only if there is no suitable option in tablets or, for example, a person cannot swallow for some reason, the injection form of the drug is chosen. ”

Antibiotics and alcohol

Any substance that enters the body must be removed from it. For this, enzymes work that break down complex molecules into simple ones and remove all unnecessary.

In the presence of alcohol in the blood, enzyme systems are blocked - the body receives a double toxic effect on its own cells and tissues. The reaction to this effect can be different (depending on the antibiotic group and the amount of alcohol consumed) - from an allergic rash to anaphylactic shock, so it’s better not to risk it.

Recovery after treatment

The value of antibiotic treatment is that they hit precisely the target: block or kill the causative agent of the disease. However, during such treatment, not only pathogenic, but also the normal intestinal flora suffers, which must be restored.

Doctors are still prescribing to drink probiotics with antibiotics (those are the most useful bacteria for the stomach), but their need is in doubt.

A large number of studies are being conducted in the world on the possibility of using probiotics to prevent the negative effects of antibiotics. “In 2017, the World Gastroenterological Organization (WGO) adopted practical recommendations on probiotics.

But while the use of probiotics is only advisory in nature. But drinking during the treatment a lot of water - it just does not hurt.

As for vitamins, according to doctors, they are not shown in the acute period of an infectious disease, and the effectiveness of immunomodulators (substances that can have a regulatory effect on the immune system) is completely questionable - there were no serious randomized trials of these drugs, which means the consequences of their use are unpredictable.

“At the same time, official clinical recommendations are often based on the information of small experiments - and as a result, even immunomodulators can be found in them,” Ekaterina Stepanova draws attention. “All this complicates the work of doctors following the principles of evidence-based medicine, and prevents the patient from sorting out his health problem.”