[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"Horrible. So it can make both men and chimps crazy?"

Dunno about chimps, but men: yes, very much so. It's a spirochete, much like syphilis. And although ticks are a major vector, any bloodsucking insect can carry it. I caught it from a horsefly bite in Munich, where it is endemic. There, they don't even bother with blood tests. Get bitten, get a round rash, get antibiotics. Doxycycline works and is well tolerated and cheap, but you must be on it for at least two months to catch the spirochete throughout its life cycle.

[Ellendra]

“Doxycycline works and is well tolerated and cheap, but you must be on it for at least two months to catch the spirochete throughout its life cycle. “

Will you please tell that to my doctor, he thinks 3 weeks is enough to kill anything.

As near as we can figure, I was infected the summer of 2004. I’ve tested negative for Lyme until this last December, when the neurological symptoms became so severe you’d swear I was drugged half the time. I never had the typical symptoms though (no rash, fever, or joint pain).

To be honest, I’m scared of this thing.

[Born Conservative]

Amoxicillin or Ceftin is used as well, both of which are generic (both are used in kids, as they cannot take Doxy before the age of 10). The IV treatment is Ceftriaxone.