Thank God for The Wellness Company; pack doxycycline

Hell of a way to spend a glorious hunting day in SA; sick in bed with tick bite fever from my Zimbabwe safari 2-1/2 weeks ago…

Good thing is, the lodge I’ve been hunting in has been so kind, called a doctor, sent him a pic of the vector bite, he was scripting me doxycycline and the camp owner was going to send someone to fetch it when I told them I had doxycycline in my emergency med kit.

My Zim PH did a super job educating me on what to look for with symptoms and then this morning I knew…

Don’t matter how careful one is with treating clothing. With a wet season like they had here this year all over Southern Africa, it only takes one bite. Achy joints (back, neck and knees on me), headache, fever and an unsettled stomach. Flu-like symptoms mostly, but easily misdiagnosed by google doctors.

Glad I came prepared.

Take meds and get well soon.

Hope you get better soon, I got sick after returning home in 2019. Took two rounds of Doxy for me to get over it.

Can one take doxy as a prophylactic like for malaria?

Hogpatrol said:

Can one take doxy as a prophylactic like for malaria?

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Only your doctor could answer that question.

I am taking Doxy this year for Malaria and to head off tick fever. After talking to my Dr. he prescribed me 45 days worth for safari and said see him as soon as i get back.

I was sick for two weeks after returning from SA this year. All tests were negative, but upper respiratory infection and fever/chills were bad. 2 weeks of antibiotics knocked most of it put, but still have the cough. The only tick I saw was on an eland, thank God.

Since you were in a malaria area in Zimbabwe anyway, you might consider taking doxycycline for malaria prophylaxis. It would double for tick bite fever. Sorry for your luck, but sounds like you’re getting taken care of well.

I got tick fever, 6-7 days after returning from the Eastern Cape. I knew it was tick fever since I had found one on the way home. Aches all over the body and fever. The emergency doc looked at me like an idiot when I told her what I had. Went through all the BS test at the ER, and she only gave me one week worth of antibiotics (Doxy). I went to see my regular Doc, and he couldn't believe the ER only gave me one week, he prescribed another week worth of Doxy, and I was fine. Nasty stuff.

Stay physically upright after taking doxycycline. I took it for tick bite fever a couple months ago, one night right before bed. Earned me a trip to ER for viscous lidocaine, it was like hydrochloric acid heartburn, I thought I was going to die. Pics of my bite and some of the rash. Awful.

Is that rash from the tick bite?

I begin taking prescription Dox 2 days prior to my trip and continue after return for 10 days per my infectious disease Doctor. I've got 10 trips to Africa under my belt and between the above, Permethrin on cloths and Picardin on skin haven't had an issue. I've had a couple of friends that didn't take Dox that have has issues......best to take the precaution.

Get well, it may happen to any of us.

I came back from Natal in 2010 with a huge green tick attached to my nutsack.

Emergency Doc removed it, and prescribed a three day dose of antibiotics ( dont recall which), end of the problem.

Just an FYI, Doxy makes some of us super sensitive to the sun. While taking it for being in a malaria area fishing trip, I got burnt to a crisp on my hands and exposed feet. 70 sun screen didn't work either.

Doxycycline can cause photosensitivity, making your skin and eyes significantly more sensitive to sunlight and artificial UV light. This means you can get a severe, blistering sunburn or an itchy rash after even brief sun exposure, and the sensitivity can last for about a week after finishing the medication

'Would not take these drugs up-front. Only in the event (the first signs) of an issue. Once went to Africa after taking doxycycline for lyme at home. Mom had a very bad case caused by the lonestar tick which required months of treatment.

A word of caution, as many of the "super" antibiotics have this as the primary side effect: Ask me-I know! LOL (took monocycline long ago and always out in the sun-it happened!) Only if necessary.

Doxycycline is known to cause drug-induced photosensitivity, meaning your skin and eyes become highly reactive to sunlight and UV rays. Even brief exposure can trigger exaggerated, severe sunburns, blistering, rashes, or a burning sensation. [1, 2]

Symptoms to Watch For

• Exaggerated Sunburn: Redness and pain that appear much faster and more intensely than usual.
• Skin Rashes: Itchy, bumpy, or red patches on sun-exposed areas.
• Blistering: In severe cases, skin can develop painful blisters or start to peel.
• Photo-onycholysis: The separation of the fingernails or toenails from the nail bed, which can occur weeks after exposure.

I have had lymes disease 38 years its terrible .I went into a coma for 2 weeks and cant go in the sun above 78 degrees .It wrecked my immunine system .Its like carrying a 125 pound sack of concrete .

TSA would've caught that in the US airport security screenings! I'm sure a taxidermist could've worked wonders with that. I'm guessing you were wearing shorts (as most of us do)?

C.W. Richter said:

'Would not take these drugs up-front. Only in the event (the first signs) of an issue. Once went to Africa after taking doxycycline for lyme at home. Mom had a very bad case caused by the lonestar tick which required months of treatment.

A word of caution, as many of the "super" antibiotics have this as the primary side effect: Ask me-I know! LOL (took monocycline long ago and always out in the sun-it happened!) Only if necessary.

Doxycycline is known to cause drug-induced photosensitivity, meaning your skin and eyes become highly reactive to sunlight and UV rays. Even brief exposure can trigger exaggerated, severe sunburns, blistering, rashes, or a burning sensation. [1, 2]

Symptoms to Watch For

• Exaggerated Sunburn: Redness and pain that appear much faster and more intensely than usual.
• Skin Rashes: Itchy, bumpy, or red patches on sun-exposed areas.
• Blistering: In severe cases, skin can develop painful blisters or start to peel.
• Photo-onycholysis: The separation of the fingernails or toenails from the nail bed, which can occur weeks after exposure.

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These side effects are exaggerated. Unless you are really fair skinned most people won’t have an issue especially from 100 mg/day. Take with a meal and Put on good sunscreen then there are no side effects.

Hogpatrol said:

Just an FYI, Doxy makes some of us super sensitive to the sun. While taking it for being in a malaria area fishing trip, I got burnt to a crisp on my hands and exposed feet. 70 sun screen didn't work either.

Doxycycline can cause photosensitivity, making your skin and eyes significantly more sensitive to sunlight and artificial UV light. This means you can get a severe, blistering sunburn or an itchy rash after even brief sun exposure, and the sensitivity can last for about a week after finishing the medication

Click to expand...

I remember your report. I think many of us would get severe sunburn coming out of winter in March and offshore fishing. I think doxycycline gets blamed when it’s due to other factors. I got heavily sunburned on my left arm this year until I changed sunscreen brands mid hunt both 50 SPF.

'Grew up along a river, swamps and old shipping canal adjacent to farmlands. Tick city in the warm season. Lots of friends/relatives/co-workers with serious cases/issues. Not much issue since moving northward and to higher elevation. I don't frequent those areas during the warm season. They, like many insects, seem to prefer specific blood types. What you said is just terrible (people who demarcate wetlands for a living or build plank roads for utility companies are guaranteed a good case of lyme.) Now lonestar, west nile and the new asian invasive long-horned tick. Protect yourselves!! (Not with drugs as a first defense.) In my business, OSHA says removing yourself from the hazard area altogether is Best (NOT going in the wet season, avoiding such areas in the hot/wet season, long clothes/DEET, etc.) So I do! People make fun of OSHA, but I get it because as a kid I'd make deliveries to the largest steel mill in the US, and that sign out front kind of sunk in: "It's been 18 days since a debilitating accident or death has occurred at this plant!" (It switched to >360 days and then subsequently to years after OSHA stepped in.) The above also applies to venomous snakes.