Intravenous (IV) Antibiotics for Lyme Disease?

The topic of intravenous antibiotic therapy is quite controversial when it comes to treating Lyme disease. In this post I am sharing an excerpt from my recently published book, “The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments.” The post also has a diagram of antibiotics and their relative benefit in Lyme disease according to my research.

This is an excerpt taken from the book seen at right.

INTRAVENOUS ANTIBIOTICS

As discussed earlier in this chapter, treating Lyme Disease is a marathon, not a sprint.  In other words, the most effective antibiotic therapy is that which is spread out over time in moderate doses, not that which is used at high doses for a short period of time.  Because IV antibiotics are generally used in short courses at higher doses, they are not as desirable in the treatment of chronic Lyme Disease as are oral antibiotics.  In addition, given the lengthy course of treatment necessary in chronic Lyme Disease, oral antibiotics are substantially more affordable, safe, convenient, flexible, and practical.  Therefore, oral antibiotics should generally be preferred to IV antibiotics when treating chronic Lyme Disease. 

Many Lyme Disease practitioners will disagree with this position because their philosophy is to hit the infection as hard as possible in a short period of time, and this is usually accomplished with IV antibiotics.  It is true that certain people will recover by using that approach.  In some cases, IV antibiotics do provide excellent results. However, the research relied on in writing this book points to the use of oral antibiotics instead of IV antibiotics. 

Ultimately, all Lyme Disease sufferers must be empowered, do their own homework, do their own thinking, and come to their own conclusions.  The truth is that chronic Lyme Disease treatment is a pioneering and experimental field, not a precise science.  As such, there are gray areas that have yet to be completely understood.  Instead of viewing this book as the final word in Lyme Disease treatment, view it as a platform from which you will be equipped to conduct your own research and make your own decisions.  This goes for your conclusion about IV antibiotics as well.

It should be noted that there are certain cases in which IV antibiotic use is definitely preferred over oral antibiotic use.  Discuss this issue with your physician.  The advice of a trained physician who knows your unique situation should be considered superior to the information in this book. Hopefully your physician is open-minded enough to have an open discussion with you about these questions.