Last time I was in for getting hundreds of tick bites in one hike (that was fun), I was also told to avoid eating red meat until labs came back. That Alpha-gal is getting more common in my area, and the first immune response is anaphylactic in 40% of the cases, best not to risk it.
If you wonder what one side of one leg looked like during the "hundreds of tick bites on a single hike" take a gander: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jekrgxa9fv14j28qga7xc/2025-08...
That was on both legs, both sides all the way up to my knees
Yeah, if you develop a rash from a tick bite that even remotely looks like it could be lyme, just go to a pet store to buy amoxicillin (you can get exactly the same stuff they give to humans) if you can't quickly find a doctor who'll take it seriously enough to immediately write you a prescription (unless, of course, they have a very well reasoned explanation for not doing so).
The potential consequences of not getting fast treatment are indeed so so much worse than the practically non-existent consequences of taking amoxicillin when you don't need it, unless you're a crazy hypochondriac who constantly thinks they might have lyme.
But hey, also don't blindly trust medical advice from HN commenters telling you to go buy pet store antibiotics :)