Beware of Pharmacies
Offering Tick Bite Treatment!
Most pharmacies offer, if anything, the minimal treatment the IDSA recommends, which is not enough to help! Some offer vaccinations for tetanus following a tick bite, which is not recommended by anyone, but it helps in their promoting and selling of vaccines.
Additionally, the cost at these pharmacies is typically as much or more than it would cost to go to your own doctor. And your insurance (if you have any) may not reimburse you for this visit and its associated costs.
EXAMPLES...
WALGREENS
What is the treatment for tick and insect bites and stings and early Lyme disease?
"If you have been bitten by a tick, it is important to remove a tick's entire body as soon as you find it, because the longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of developing infection or Lyme disease. Visit Healthcare Clinic for tick removal. If you have not had a tetanus shot in the past 10 years, you should visit a healthcare provider such as Healthcare Clinic to get this vaccination.
If any of the symptoms of early Lyme disease listed above are experienced, visit Healthcare Clinic immediately. [SYMPTOMS FOR LYME ARE, PER WALGREEN'S PHARMACY- "...a red rash that starts small and progresses in size over a few days to a month, often taking on a bulls-eye appearance. Other symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and body aches.]
Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective when begun early, within the first 48 hours. If treated early, most cases of Lyme disease can be successfully treated with a few weeks of antibiotics.*"
1 Prescriptions written when clinically appropriate. Patients have a choice of pharmacy.
2 Service is available at Healthcare Clinic locations for patients 18 months and older.
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"Dang! You took all the right preventive measures but a deer tick still bit you. What can you do to avoid long term debilitating complications? Dr. Silverblatt says it could be as simple as downing two tablets. And he's not talking aspirin."
"I didn't feel like sitting on my porch spitting out watermelon seeds," said Dr. Fredric J. Silverblatt, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Brown University, of his motivation to help launch South County Hospital's Lyme Disease Clinic in June 2009. https://patch.com/rhode-island/narragansett/south-county-hospital-lyme-disease-clinic
The quotes above just don't sound good coming from a professional who is suppose to care for patients.
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[Seaside Pharmacy in Westerly, Rhode Island and Green Line Apothecary in South Kingstown, Rhode Island]
QUOTE- "The agreement establishes screening and administration procedures for people who are at least 8 years old, have had a deer tick attached to their body for 36 hours or longer, and had the tick removed no more than 72 hours prior to seeking treatment.
"The procedure mirrors the Lyme treatment protocols outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."
"... pharmacists at Seaside Pharmacy in Westerly, Rhode Island and Green Line Apothecary in South Kingstown, Rhode Island have been authorized to deliver a single, 200-milligram (mg) dose of doxycycline to eligible patients."
BAD NEWS GUY>>>> "Phillip J. Baker, PhD, executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation, told Healthline that the URI initiative “seems to be reasonable as long as the pharmacy follows the precautions noted by the CDC.” <<<<
"Dr. Daniel Cameron, a Lyme disease expert and past president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, expressed skepticism about the 2001 Lyme study. He noted that only a handful of the research subjects had the classic “bullseye” rash typical of Lyme infection. He told Healthline that a three-week course of prophylactic antibiotic treatment is more effective. He also pointed out that doxycycline does not treat common Lyme coinfections like babesia. Babesia is found in about 40 percent of Lyme patients in New England."
“We try not to interrupt antibiotic treatment, so by the next day [after receiving the 200 mg dose of doxycycline] there needs to be a plan in place” for continued treatment by a physician, Cameron said."
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$99- $129- To See Patient For A Tick Bite
"Lab, tests and additional services may result in additional charges. Labs and tests cannot be purchased separately and are only performed as part of a standard visit."
"Your practitioner will review your medical history, discuss your symptoms and conduct an examination. Your practitioner will remove the tick if necessary and provide a personalized treatment plan. Your practitioner may conduct needed testing. Please note that additional charges apply for these tests.... At the end of your visit, your practitioner will provide you with a summary, a receipt and educational material." https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/services/minor-injuries/tick-bites/N-d8ZbtjvZd5
