If you live in a lyme-tick area, you should have antibiotics on hand at all times.
If you find a tick that's already been on you long enough to cause a red irritation spot, the clock is ticking.
Any time spent on finding a doctor to see, waiting for test results, seeing if symptoms develop, etc. is wasted time.
The sooner you make your body an unfriendly environment to the bacteria, the less time they have to grow and spread.
This means not only antibiotics, but also not eating anything calorie dense, eating fresh garlic and other natural antibacterials, and getting a lot of sleep, when your immune system works best. If you are a weed smoker and it makes you crave food, it may help to take a tolerance break. Coffee will not help you in this situation.
This is a protocol I've learned about from several people for whom antibiotics do not work. I think there's a book about it.
Doctors have told me that a 3-day course is enough to prevent a system-wide infection if you catch it early. Once an infection settles in, a longer course is needed, typically 14 days, which will do major damage to your biome.