Lyme Disease

Key facts

• Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, spread through the bite of infected ticks in wooded and rural areas.
• The earliest sign is often a spreading rash, sometimes with a bull's-eye pattern, followed by fatigue, fever, headache, and joint aches.
• Left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, heart, and nervous system over weeks or months.
• Doxycycline is the standard first treatment; a full course clears most early infections.

What the infection looks like

The earliest sign is often a spreading skin rash, sometimes with a distinctive bull's-eye pattern, appearing days to weeks after a tick bite. Fatigue, fever, headache, and joint aches follow. Without treatment, the infection can affect the joints, heart, and nervous system over weeks or months, so catching it early makes a real difference.

Treating Lyme disease

Doxycycline is the standard antibiotic for early Lyme disease in adults and older children. It belongs to the broader antibiotics group and works by blocking bacterial protein synthesis. A full course clears most early infections; late-stage disease may need a longer course or a different regimen under medical supervision.

Preventing tick bites

Removing an attached tick promptly, ideally within 24 to 36 hours, greatly lowers the chance of infection, since the bacteria typically need time attached to the skin before they transmit. Checking skin and clothing after time in long grass or woodland, using an insect repellent, and tucking trousers into socks all reduce the risk of a bite taking hold in the first place.

When to see a doctor

Seek prompt medical attention if you develop a spreading rash after a tick bite, or if symptoms such as facial palsy, severe headache, or joint swelling appear. Anyone bitten by a tick in an area where Lyme disease is known to occur should watch for these signs over the following weeks even if the bite itself seemed minor, since early treatment prevents the more serious complications that come with delayed diagnosis.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.