Lyme disease is more effectively treated if diagnosed early in the course of illness.

Although Lyme disease can have serious symptoms, several antibiotics are available to treat the illness. Most cases of Lyme disease can be cured with a 2-4 weeks of treatment with doxycycline, amoxicillin, or ceftriaxone.

Persons with certain neurological or cardiac forms of illness may require intravenous treatment with penicillin or ceftriaxone.

Patients diagnosed in the later stages of the disease can have persistent or recurrent symptoms requiring a longer course of antibiotic treatment. Treatment failure has been reported, requiring patients be retreated; the risk of treatment failure is greater in patients with long-term Lyme infection.