Pharmacist Initiation of Post-Exposure Doxycycline for Lyme Prophylaxis

  • Presented at the New England Pharmacists Convention, September 2013
  • Anita N. Jackson, PharmD, K. Kelly Orr, PharmD, and Jeffrey P. Bratberg, PharmD

Research

  • Untreated Lyme disease may progress to a serious illness including cardiac and neurologic complications. With appropriate and prompt antibiotic treatment, most patients recover without complications
  • Post- exposure antibiotics for I. scapularis bites have been evaluated in the literature and found to reduce the rates of infections and subsequent development of Lyme disease. In a randomized, controlled trial of 482 subjects, the development of erythema migrans following a tick bite was reduced with anitbiotic prophylaxis by 87% (NEJM; 345 (2): 79 -84.)
  • Providing antibiotics for Lyme disease prevention in a community pharmacy setting may improve patient access to prompt treatment (within 72 hours of tick removal) and increase prophylaxis treatment.

Related People: Anita N. Jackson, K. Kelly Orr, and Jeffrey P. Bratberg
The University of Rhode Island, College of Pharmacy