Children under 12, pregnant mothers, and mothers who breast feed, are treated with amoxicillin or penicillin because a chemical in doxycycline can stain teeth developing in children and newborn babies. Patients with arthritis treated with penicillin or ceftriaxone. Severe arthritis symptoms may also be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, fluid may be drawn from the affected joints, or the inflamed lining of the joints may be surgically removed. Patients with cardiac symptoms are given ceftriaxone shots once a day for about 2 weeks. If the symptoms are severe enough, patients are treated with corticosteriods or given a temporary pace maker.
Most symptoms clear up a few weeks after treatment.
Lyme arthritis may be cleared up in a few weeks, but can also be months or years until it totally disappears from some people. Following treatment, symptoms such as fatigue and headaches could last for a few months. Patients who go untreated until the late stages of the disease, may never be cured from some symptoms, such as arthritis and facial paralysis which can cause permanent damage. Researchers have currently developed a vaccine for Lyme Disease known as LYMErix'. The vaccine is made from a recombinant outer surface protein OspA, of B.Burgdorferi.