Antibiotics for Lyme Disease

Common side effects of these antibiotics include:

• Nausea.
• Mild diarrhea.
• Allergic reaction.
• Secondary yeast infection in the intestines, vagina, or mouth (Reference thrush Opens New Window).

Some people treated for early Lyme disease have brief episodes of headache, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue that may continue for an extended period of time after treatment. These symptoms usually go away on their own within 6 months and do not require further treatment.

During the first 24 hours of antibiotic therapy, you may have a higher fever, redder rash, or greater pain. This is not an allergic reaction to the drug. It may mean that the bacteria are rapidly dying.

One large study suggests that people who take erythromycin along with certain common medicines may raise their risk of sudden cardiac death.^{Reference 3} The study showed that the risk of sudden cardiac death is greater when erythromycin is taken with some medicines that inhibit certain liver enzymes—such as certain calcium channel blockers, certain antifungal medicines, and some antidepressants—than when these medicines are not taken together.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

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