Lyme Disease Treatment Approaches

There are currently two different treatment approaches for Lyme disease. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) have each published their own set of evidence-based treatment guidelines.

Lyme Disease IDSA Treatment Guidelines

IDSA guidelines recommend a short course of antibiotics, typically 14-30 days. IDSA argues that Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) does not persist in a patient beyond this time frame and that lingering symptoms are the result of an ongoing immune response and not the result of an active infection. IDSA cites scientific evidence claiming treatments beyond 30 days are ineffective, unnecessary and even dangerous. IDSA physicians will typically stop treatment after 30 days, even if symptoms remain.

Our medical team treats patients according to ILADS’ guidelines, and in fact, Dr. Cameron is the lead author of those guidelines.

Lyme Disease ILADS Treatment Guidelines

Meanwhile, ILADS identifies flaws in the studies IDSA cites. And ILADS offers its own scientific data to show that long-term antibiotics are effective in treating persistent symptoms, and that a longer course is required to eradicate the bacteria.

ILADS recognizes that a month of treatment may be sufficient for patients in the acute stage of Lyme disease, but in cases where the spirochete has disseminated and the disease has advanced, a 30-day treatment regimen is inadequate. ILADS’ guidelines recommend additional rounds of antibiotics to those patients. It also advises continuing antibiotic therapy until a patient’s symptoms have resolved.

Our medical team treats patients according to ILADS’ guidelines, and in fact, Dr. Cameron is the lead author of those guidelines. After decades of experience in treating this patient population, Dr. Cameron has found that a one-time, short-term antibiotic treatment regimen, as recommended by IDSA, is not effective for a large number of patients with chronic Lyme disease.

Treating Lyme disease in its advanced stage can be complicated, based on numerous factors, including, the complexity of the organism itself; the differences in each patient’s immune system; the length of time infected; and the possible presence of other co-infections transmitted by the same tick bite.

There simply is no “one size fits all” treatment protocol for patients infected with Lyme disease and/or co-infections. This is why it’s critical for physicians treating Lyme disease to invest time with patients to thoroughly understand their medical history and to closely monitor symptoms and treatment response to determine the best therapy to restore the patient’s health.

There simply is no “one size fits all” treatment protocol for patients infected with Lyme disease.
─ Dr. Daniel Cameron & Associates Practice & Research

More About Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease Diagnosis

The growing number of infectious diseases carried by ticks; the emergence of new vector-borne diseases; the unreliability of laboratory tests; and the complexity of symptom presentations and variations in each patient make Lyme disease one of the most perplexing and elusive medical conditions to identify.
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Lyme Disease Testing

Often the diagnosis of Lyme disease depends upon the physician’s readiness to listen and ask questions and on the mutual exchange of information, beginning with the initial doctor-patient interview. That said, laboratory tests can be used to support the diagnosis.
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Choosing A Treatment

Lyme disease can become persistent, recurrent, and refractory, even with antibiotic therapy. Therefore, treatment should be prompt and thorough with in-depth follow-up to assess new symptoms and treatment response and to rule out other illnesses.
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