Your health care provider will ask about your symptoms and medical history. He or she will examine you. You may have a blood test for Lyme disease. Or you and your provider may decide to start treatment without the test. Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics.
Early treatment can help prevent possible complications.
The choice of antibiotic may depend on such factors as the stage of the disease and whether your joints are inflamed. If you are in stages 2 or 3 of the disease, you may also need other treatments. This is especially true if you have infection or inflammation of the heart, central nervous system, or joints. Although this happens rarely, you should call your health care provider right away if you are pregnant and have symptoms of Lyme disease. Also, if you are a nursing mother and are bitten by a tick and develop symptoms of infection, contact your provider for advice.