Suggest A Remedy For Neck Pain After Starting Doxycycline

Posted on Thu, 23 Jun 2016

Question: A week ago I had a tick bite. The site of the bite became raised, about four inches across, but only redness in the middle half inch. No erythema migrant. I was prescribed doxicylin, though I am allergic to most antibiotics. After the first day the swelling was gone. But since then I have increasing neck pain, with no fever, no rash.

I have five more days of the antibiotic, but I also suspect it may be the cause, as I had a Stevens XXXXXXX reaction to a mycoplasma in mulch two years ago. My question: Could I stop the antibiotic for 12 hours to see if my symptoms abate? Thank you!

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (30 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
please provide more information

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

if you've completed at least 14 consecutive days of treatment then you can stop. Doxycycline may cause headache very often (more than 1 out of 4 patients). It may also cause pain in other parts of the body but less commonly.

So if your symptoms started right after initiating treatment then doxycycline would be the most likely cause of your symptoms. Treatment for Lyme disease requires 14-21 days of treatment with doxycycline. If you haven't taken the antibiotic for at least 14 days then I would recommend against stopping it now. If you have taken it for more than 14 days then it's OK to stop for a short time to see if the symptoms get better.

I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.

Kind Regards!

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar