Tick Medication

[Ianab]

This might interest those folks in tick infested areas.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/03/tick-killing-pill-shows-promising-results-in-human-trial/

Basically they are testing the anti-tick tablets that you can currently give dogs to see if they are safe for humans to take. The idea is the drug sits in your blood stream, but has no effect on you. But if a tick bites and starts to suck blood, it gets a dose of the drug, and soon drops dead (before it can infect you with Lyme disease). Like any drug that's for human use they of course have to test that it's safe (no nasty side effects), and actually works. But so far it looks promising, and because it's known safe and effective for dogs, there is a good chance it will be for humans too. 

[thecfarm]

I did not check the link out, but sure hope so. 
We never had ticks around here 15 years ago. 
Then they slowly started to creep in. 
The ticks were about 1/2 hour from me for years. My FIL would come and holler, you must have ticks here, you live in the woods. No way to tell him there was none here. 
 Just because he had them, don't mean I did.

[WhitePineJunky]

I did not check the link out, but sure hope so.
We never had ticks around here 15 years ago.
Then they slowly started to creep in. 
The ticks were about 1/2 hour from me for years. My FIL would come and holler, you must have ticks here, you live in the woods. No way to tell him there was none here. 
 Just because he had them, don't mean I did.

Not even dog ticks? NS has had them long before deer ticks 

[thecfarm]

I probably spent more then 40 years on this land and never found one on me. Then there was 3 brothers and parents here too and they never found any on them either.

[Southside]

So I won't have to squirt that stuff between my shoulder blades each month any more? 

[Old Greenhorn]

Sounds like that's a "no". but you might keep wearing that collar just to be safe.

[doc henderson]

there was a guy named Frank on staff at summer camp.  his dad was military and he had lots of GI green match books.  he would chew several match tips a day and said he never had tick.  none of us did either.  His light bulb was not screwed in the right direction.  not sure if it was related.  nice guy.

[LeeB]

Sulfur is supposed to be a tick repellant so there may be some backing to his claim. 

[doc henderson]

I do not doubt that.  the question is the dose and frequency, and side effects.  In light of the fact, that no one else had ticks.   ol Frank.

[barbender]

 My first thought is, "heck no!", but the fact is we have gotten to be a hot bed of deer ticks in our area. We always had regular wood ticks, they didn't cause any real harm and were a part of the local culture really. There are stores, music festivals and other things names after them (the "Woodtick Jamboree" being one example). Deer ticks are something else entirely, they carry so many diseases that they are a real danger. Lyme's can be absolutely debilitating if not caught, and I've seen people put in the hospital by other tick borne diseases. I can't even remember all of the names. There's another one they carry that is deadly on dogs, too. It destroys the red blood cells. I lost one of my dogs to that. 

[Ed_K]

 We had wood ticks for ever, but deer ticks just in the last 15 yrs. I pick ticks off Rita all the time when she's been working in the flower beds. I never have them on me or if I do they don't last long. I think it's because I have Multiple Myeloma.

[Don P]

I've been tempted to wear a collar on each ankle for years  . I'm pretty sure I've plucked a few of these little specks off;
Protect Your Cattle from Asian Longhorned Ticks and Theileriosis (virginia.gov)

[plantita]

A preventative pill for ticks sounds like a game-changer. It would be great to have an option beyond just doing tick checks and wearing repellent. Living around so many woods, we're dealing with more ticks.

[Ianab]

I can't even remember all of the names. There's another one they carry that is deadly on dogs, too. It destroys the red blood cells. I lost one of my dogs to that. 

This is probably the medication that vets use to protect dogs from that. The human drug testing and approval process is specifically related to Lyme disease, so the package (if approved) will say "Helps protect from Lyme disease". To get a drug approved you have to prove it's actually useful for treating some particular disease. But they suggest that as it seems to work on any type of tick, or a tick carrying a different bacteria. so it should help prevent other tick borne infections too. But that's just not part of the current study. 

Main objective at the moment is to get it approved for Human use.

[NewYankeeSawmill]

Sounds like that's a "no". but you might keep wearing that collar just to be safe.

....Zat mean I can take this tag out of my ear???! 

[farmfromkansas]

Was talking to the local librarian the other day, she is having problems with ticks.  I have had a couple stuck to me this spring, but lately not.  Maybe has to do with replacing a lot of ear tags on the cows.

[hh76]

I can't even remember all of the names. There's another one they carry that is deadly on dogs, too. It destroys the red blood cells. I lost one of my dogs to that.

This is probably the medication that vets use to protect dogs from that. The human drug testing and approval process is specifically related to Lyme disease, so the package (if approved) will say "Helps protect from Lyme disease". To get a drug approved you have to prove it's actually useful for treating some particular disease. But they suggest that as it seems to work on any type of tick, or a tick carrying a different bacteria. so it should help prevent other tick borne infections too. But that's just not part of the current study.

Main objective at the moment is to get it approved for Human use.

I wonder if it would be effective against diseases other than Lyme?  With Lyme, the tick must be attached for 24+ hours before you contract.  That gives the medicine time to kill the tick and fall off.

If a disease could be transferred immediately when the tick bit, a drug like this would be useless.

Just got my Lyme diagnosis yesterday, hoping to be back to normal in a week or two.

[Texas Ranger]

Back in my youth, pre DEET, we would dust feet, legs and boots with powdered sulfur, kept most off, except those that landed above the belt.  This was in Missouri and seed ticks were a terror.  

[caveman]

I have read that folks who drink water from a well with a lot of sulfur tend to not have ticks bother them as much, same goes for folks who eat match heads.  You may want to talk to your healthcare specialist before you take up that habit.

[WhitePineJunky]

I can't even remember all of the names. There's another one they carry that is deadly on dogs, too. It destroys the red blood cells. I lost one of my dogs to that.

This is probably the medication that vets use to protect dogs from that. The human drug testing and approval process is specifically related to Lyme disease, so the package (if approved) will say "Helps protect from Lyme disease". To get a drug approved you have to prove it's actually useful for treating some particular disease. But they suggest that as it seems to work on any type of tick, or a tick carrying a different bacteria. so it should help prevent other tick borne infections too. But that's just not part of the current study.

Main objective at the moment is to get it approved for Human use.

I wonder if it would be effective against diseases other than Lyme?  With Lyme, the tick must be attached for 24+ hours before you contract.  That gives the medicine time to kill the tick and fall off.

If a disease could be transferred immediately when the tick bit, a drug like this would be useless.

Just got my Lyme diagnosis yesterday, hoping to be back to normal in a week or two.

Did you get a week prescription? I had 3 week antibiotics. What were your symptoms ?

[YellowHammer]

Ticks everywhere here, even worse than normal.  I like doing tick checks with my wife.  

[Magicman]

I have read that folks who drink water from a well with a lot of sulfur tend to not have ticks bother them as much, same goes for folks who eat match heads. 

Folks that eat match heads also tend to not scratch their butts.....

[hh76]

I can't even remember all of the names. There's another one they carry that is deadly on dogs, too. It destroys the red blood cells. I lost one of my dogs to that.

This is probably the medication that vets use to protect dogs from that. The human drug testing and approval process is specifically related to Lyme disease, so the package (if approved) will say "Helps protect from Lyme disease". To get a drug approved you have to prove it's actually useful for treating some particular disease. But they suggest that as it seems to work on any type of tick, or a tick carrying a different bacteria. so it should help prevent other tick borne infections too. But that's just not part of the current study.

Main objective at the moment is to get it approved for Human use.

I wonder if it would be effective against diseases other than Lyme?  With Lyme, the tick must be attached for 24+ hours before you contract.  That gives the medicine time to kill the tick and fall off.

If a disease could be transferred immediately when the tick bit, a drug like this would be useless.

Just got my Lyme diagnosis yesterday, hoping to be back to normal in a week or two.

Did you get a week prescription? I had 3 week antibiotics. What were your symptoms ?

14day prescription, but hoping that any symptoms dissipate before I get through it.  From what I understand, the length of treatment can depend on how quickly it's found.  On the advice of a friend who waited far too long to go in, I made the appointment as soon as I had symptoms. I never had the "bullseye", just a small red mark.  My main symptoms were muscle/joint aches, tiredness and a slight fever one night.

[Ianab]

If a disease could be transferred immediately when the tick bit, a drug like this would be useless.

Yeah, won't work on malaria for example because a single bite can infect. 

Other folks working with cattle have probably picked up enough Ivermectin via contact to be safe?