Gonorrhea And Chlamydia Treatment Side Effects

What Is The Best Medication For Gonorrhea

There are a few antibiotics available to treat gonorrhea, but only your doctor will be able to determine which option is best for you. Your healthcare provider will make an evaluation based on your medical condition, medical history, and medications you may already be taking that could interact with gonorrhea medication. Your physician will also monitor your response to treatment in case any adjustments need to be made.

Other serious side effects of antibiotics include:

• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing

This is not a full list of all potential side effects. You should always speak to a healthcare professional about the risks before starting a new medication.

If you think you may be experiencing side effects from your antibiotics, seek medical advice immediately.

Who Is Eligible For The Treatment

People who get infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacterium and have symptoms like burning with urination, testicular pain, penile discharge in men and vaginal discharge and bleeding other than in periods with pelvic pain in women are eligible for treatment. Also, the partners of the patients who may not show evident symptoms but might be infected with the bacteria must also go for a diagnostic test and thereafter for its treatment. A child born from a gonorrhoea infected woman may also get infected affecting its eyes developing a condition called ophthalmia neonatorum.

Doxycycline Resistance And C Trachomatis

Despite the absence of recent MIC data for C. trachomatis, low values of MICs of doxycycline were reported in the literature with MIC90 usually0.125 mg/L.,, Interestingly, doxycycline minimum chlamydiacidal concentrations varied according to the clinical presentation and the bacterial serovar, with lower MCCs in cases of asymptomatic infection than in mucopurulent cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease, and the highest MCCs observed for serovar Ia and J in mucopurulent cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease. In contrast, no MIC or MCC difference was observed between isolates recovered in the case of treatment failure or persistence compared with single-episode isolates. From these data and treatment success rates, pathogen resistance is expected to be low. However, tetracycline- and doxycycline-resistant isolates and isolates resistant to multiple antibiotics have been reported, some of thembut not allbeing involved in relapsing or persistent infection.

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Which Antibiotic Is Best For Gonorrhea

Per CDC recommendations, many doctors prescribe dual therapy, including an injection of ceftriaxone, plus a tablet of either azithromycin or a treatment course of doxycycline. The CDC recommends a single dose of azithromycin, which has been shown to be effective. Only your doctor can determine which antibiotic is best for you based on your medical history and condition.

How To Prevent Gonorrhea And Chlamydia

There are different measures to protect yourself from getting infected with gonorrhea or chlamydia. The most effective way is completely staying away from sex since both chlamydia and gonorrhea are caused by the transfer of bacteria during sex.

However, if you cannot stay away from sex, some other measures can protect you against these infections.

You can use latex condoms or dental dams to protect yourself during sexual activities.

Correct use of condoms can stop the infected fluid from contacting another persons genitals, thereby limiting the spread of the bacteria.

Another way to protect yourself from getting infected is to maintain mutual monogamy in your sexual relationship. This means you and your partner agree to be only sexually active with each other.

Staying in a reciprocal monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is a reliable way of avoiding infection. However, before starting your relationship, you must be sure neither of you is infected with these diseases.

You can also reduce the number of your sexual partners to lower your risk of getting infected with these infections.

Ensure that you and your partners get screened regularly too. In addition, you should also avoid having sex with someone you suspect is infected.

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Antibiotics Used To Treat Gonorrhea

If youre diagnosed with gonorrhea, your healthcare provider will talk with you about treatment options. The first-line treatment for gonorrhea is an injection of an antibiotic called ceftriaxone. This is often followed by an oral dose of another antibiotic .

Depending on your circumstances and allergies, other options may be available.

In addition to discussing your treatment options, talk to your provider about your care plan.

Three months after finishing treatment, your provider may recommend that you get re-tested for gonorrhea to ensure that the antibiotics cleared the infection. In some cases, your provider may recommend re-testing even earlier.

Can Chlamydia Turn Into Gonorrhea

No, chlamydia on its own cannot turn into gonorrhea as they are caused by two different bacteria.

It does happen that people contract and carry both chlamydia and gonorrhea bacteria, so you can have them at the same time. Also, having one increases your likelihood of contracting another thus, it is always important to be treated for both.

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How Is Gonorrhea Treated

Youll need antibiotics to treat gonorrhea. Your provider will tell you if you need the medicine via a shot or by mouth. IM Ceftriaxone and oral azithromycin are prescribed first. Make sure to take your medication as instructed, even if the symptoms improve and you start to feel better.

Never take someone elses medication to treat your illness. Doing so makes the infection harder to treat.

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Why Can’t I Repeat The Chlamydia Test After I’ve Taken My Treatment To Check It Worked

You can, but it takes up to 6 weeks for the test to go back to negative after an infection. If you re-test too early a positive result can be a sign of continuing or re-infection, but it’s most likely to be positive from the initial infection, so it’s not at all helpful.

If you are under 25 years of age, it is recommended to have a repeat test 3 months after treatment as a significant number of young people get repeat infections which are linked to an increased risk of complications.

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Treatment Options For Chlamydia

Chlamydia typically responds to antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics can cure chlamydia in over 95% of people if used correctly and according to the doctors recommendations.

The two most widely prescribed antibiotics to treat chlamydia are doxycycline and azithromycin.

The prescribed dosage is at the discretion of your healthcare provider, depending on the severity of your condition.

However, the usual dosage for doxycycline is 200 mg of the drug every day for 7 days.

For azithromycin, the commonly recommended dose is 1g, then 500 mg once a day for 2 days.

There are alternative treatment options for allergic, breastfeeding, or pregnant people. For instance, antibiotics like erythromycin or amoxicillin can be used as substitute treatment options for chlamydia.

How Do You Know If Chlamydia Is Gone After Treatment

Your chlamydia symptoms should improve within a week of completing your course of antibiotics.

You do not need an immediate follow-up test to check if your chlamydia treatment has worked, as dead chlamydia bacteria may be detected 3 to 5 weeks after treatment, which would give a false positive result. But, if you have a rectal infection, you should have a test after treatment is completed.

If you are under 25 and have tested positive for chlamydia, it is recommended you take a repeat test 3 months after completing your treatment, to check you have not caught chlamydia again.

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Copyright 2021 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. All rights reserved. Read copyright and permissions information.

This information is designed as an educational aid for the public. It offers current information and opinions related to womens health. It is not intended as a statement of the standard of care. It does not explain all of the proper treatments or methods of care. It is not a substitute for the advice of a physician. Read ACOGs complete disclaimer.

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Is Treatment Always Necessary For Chlamydia

Yes, treatment is necessary for chlamydia, particularly in women of childbearing age, because it reduces the risk of chlamydia-associated ectopic pregnancy, fertility problems, and the transmission of chlamydia to neonates during birth. In women, of all ages, chlamydia treatment reduces the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease.

In men, treatment for chlamydia stops them from infecting or reinfecting sexual partners with the bacteria.

Treat any person testing positive for chlamydia with a recommended course of antibiotics promptly. Delays in treatment have been associated with complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease.

Reporting And Partner Notification

National/provincial/territorial notification

Gonococcal infections are nationally notifiable and reportable by laboratories, physicians and designated health professionals to local public health authorities in all provinces and territories.

Local public health authorities should be promptly notified of suspected or confirmed treatment failures. The prompt notification of treatment failures will allow provincial and territorial STI prevention and control programs to quickly identify emerging patterns of AMR in their jurisdictions. This will enable P/Ts to collaborate with the Public Health Agency of Canada to issue timely electronic alerts through the Canadian Network for Public Health Intelligence .

Partner notification

Case finding and partner notification are critical to the prevention and control of gonococcal infections. Notify, clinically assess, test and provide empiric treatment to all sexual partners of the index case within 60 days prior to symptom onset or date of specimen collection . Empiric treatment is indicated regardless of clinical findings and without waiting for test results)Footnote 4Footnote 42.

Extend the length of time for partner notification

• To include additional time up to the date of treatment
• If the index case states there were no partners during the recommended trace-back period
• If all partners traced test negative

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Long Term Effects Of Gonorrhea Infection In Women:

When gonorrhea infection occurs in woman, it causes abnormal vaginal discharge, frequent urination, burning sensation during urination, pain in lower abdomen, pain during sexual intercourse and bleeding between periods. When left untreated or poorly treated it has further long term implications on the health. These are

Inflammation of the Pelvic Region:

The gonorrhea infection spreads to the upper reproductive system and causes Pelvic Inflammatory Disease . The uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries get affected. Since there is blocking and scarring of fallopian tubes, the eggs cannot travel from ovaries to uterus and impairs the process of fertilization. This leads to infertility where woman faces problems in getting pregnant. Another problem is ectopic pregnancy, where the fetus grows in fallopian tubes instead of uterus and often leads to spontaneous abortions.

Complication During Pregnancy and in Newborn as an Effect of Gonorrhea:

The untreated infected mother passes gonorrhea infection to her infant. This causes gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum in 28% of the newborn babies. Neonatal conjunctivitis can result in blindness. It may also result in preterm labor and miscarriage.

Other complications include fever, inflammation of the tissue surrounding reproductive organs and .

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Put Sex On Hold During And After Chlamydia Treatment

If you were given a single dose of antibiotics to treat your chlamydia, you should not have any kind of sex for a full seven days after the day you took the medicine. If youre taking antibiotics for a week, wait another seven days after the last day of your treatment. Be sure to take all of the medicine that is prescribed for you.

Not having sex for seven days after treatment is complete is important so you dont spread the infection to your partner or partners.

Medication stops the infection and can keep you from spreading the disease, but it wont cure any permanent damage that the infection caused before you started treatment. In women, such damage can include blocking the fallopian tubes, causing infertility.

If you still have symptoms for more than a few days after you stop taking your medicine, go back to see your doctor or other healthcare provider so they can check you again.

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Contacting Any Previous Partners

Youll want to let your current sexual partner know they should get tested for gonorrhea right away.

If a healthcare professional diagnoses gonorrhea, they may also ask for the names and contact information of any previous sexual partners.

The law requires healthcare professionals to report the diagnosis, usually to the county public health department. Public health officials will then contact your partner anonymously and explain that theyll need to get tested for gonorrhea.

The health department takes this step because gonorrhea often doesnt involve symptoms. People who dont know they have the infection may not get tested or treated. As a result, they might transmit it without realizing or go on to develop serious, sometimes permanent, reproductive health concerns.

Who Should Take An At

Before you start worrying about amoxicillin, you should first get a proper diagnosis. For cases in which chlamydia or gonorrhea symptoms are present, these are the signs to watch out for:

• More frequent urination or the urge to urinate
• Painful sensation when urinating
• Sore throat that wont go away
• Testicular pain and swelling in men
• Lower abdominal pain in women
• Heavier period or excessive spotting in women

If you notice any of these symptoms, its in your best interest to purchase an at-home STD kit to test for gonorrhea and chlamydia right away.

Dont assume that you dont need to get tested simply because you arent experiencing any symptoms. In many cases, gonorrhea and chlamydia may not show any visible signs of infection at all. For this reason, every sexually active person should be tested regularly for all common sexually transmitted infections.

In general, the CDC recommends that every sexually active adult get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea at least once a year. But if you engage in certain sexual activities, you may need to get tested more frequently.This is especially true for people who meet one or more of the following conditions:

• You have recently entered a new relationship.
• You and your partner no longer want to use condoms.
• You or your partner have multiple partners.
• You recently had unprotected sex.
• You believe you may have been exposed to gonorrhea or chlamydia.

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Parents Have A Role In Chlamydia Prevention

Parents can do two main things to help their kids avoid getting chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections , says Dombrowski. These two things are:

Does Gonorrhea Make You Tired

Yes, in general, any infection which attacks the immune system of the body makes you feel weak and low on energy as most of the energy of the body is worked up towards fighting against the bacterial, viral, or fungal intervention.

If left untreated, prolonged exposure to the Gonorrhea bacteria can develop long-term complications which may also cause fatigue.

Fatigue can also be a sign that your body is getting out of resources and needs better nutrient content. Todays busy lifestyle may degrade the quality of the food which decreases the consumption of essential vitamins and nutrients that one needs to have a functional and healthy life.

Not only in adults males and females but newborn infants who get infected from their mother during delivery may also experience Gonorrhea and fatigue associated with it. Infected infants also show low immunity issues which can make them more vulnerable to other viral and fungal infections.

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Before Using Ceftriaxone Injection

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to ceftriaxone carbapenem antibiotics other cephalosporin antibiotics such as cefaclor, cefadroxil,cefazolin , cefdinir, cefditoren , cefepime , cefixime , cefotaxime , cefotetan, cefoxitin , cefpodoxime, cefprozil, ceftaroline , ceftazidime , ceftibuten ,cefuroxime , and cephalexin penicillin antibiotics, or any other medications.Also tell your doctor if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in ceftriaxone injection. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: chloramphenicol, and warfarin .
• tell your doctor if your child was born prematurely or is younger than 4 weeks of age. Your doctor may not want your baby to receive ceftriaxone injection.
• tell your doctor if you or if you have or have ever had any kind of allergies, problems with your digestive system especially colitis , malnutrition , problems with your vitamin K levels, or kidney or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while using ceftriaxone injection, call your doctor.