What Do I Need To Know If I Get Treated For Chlamydia
If youre getting treated for chlamydia:
- Take all of your medicine the way your nurse or doctor tells you to, even if any symptoms you may be having go away sooner. The infection stays in your body until you finish the antibiotics.
- Your partner should also get treated for chlamydia so you dont re-infect each other or anyone else.
- Dont have sex for 7 days. If you only have 1 dose of medication, wait for 7 days after you take it before having sex. If youre taking medicine for 7 days, dont have sex until youve finished all of your pills.
- Get tested again in 3-4 months to make sure your infection is gone.
- Dont share your medicine with anyone. Your nurse or doctor may give you a separate dose of antibiotics for your partner. Make sure you both take all of the medicine you get.
- Even if you finish your treatment and the chlamydia is totally gone, its possible to get a new chlamydia infection again if youre exposed in the future. Chlamydia isnt a one-time-only deal. So use condoms and get tested regularly.
Common Questions About Chlamydia
Many people are not aware that chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. More than two million cases of Chlamydia are reported each year, with an estimated 75% of infected individuals unaware they have it. It is important to understand the indicators of this disease and how it differs from other STIs like gonorrhea, herpes, or HIV. People who have Chlamydia may want to ask a few questions. The best source for answers is through your own doctor. That being said, here are some of the more frequent questions that are brought up in regard to Chlamydia:
What is the best way to tell whether I have chlamydia?
Many people think that there is no way to know if they have chlamydia. Chlamydia can cause a range of symptoms, but many people dont experience any symptoms at all. There are a number of ways to find out if you have chlamydia, including a urine test, lab test, or getting screened with the PCR Rapid Test for Chlamydia. The most accurate way to know for sure is by getting tested for chlamydia with the PCR Rapid Test.
Also Check: Is Zithromax Used To Treat Chlamydia
Chlamydia Treatment And Prevention
Milly DawsonSanjai Sinha, MDShutterstock
Chlamydia is easy to cure. If you test positive for chlamydia, basically you take an antibiotic, says Jill Rabin, MD, cochief in the division of ambulatory care for women’s health programs and prenatal care assistance program services for Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York.
Your partner must take an antibiotic, too, to keep them from reinfecting you, she says.
You have to have your partner treated, and if you have more than one partner, they should all be treated, says Dr. Rabin, regardless of your partners genders.
Even if you dont have chlamydia now, its wise to learn how to protect yourself so you wont develop this common infection in the first place. In women, chlamydia can create serious health problems, including infertility. Besides, no one ever wants to have a sexually transmitted disease and then have to tell other people about it.
Recommended Reading: How Long Does It Take To Treat Chlamydia
What Are 5 Symptoms Of Chlamydia
If they do get symptoms, the most common include:
- pain when urinating.
- bleeding between periods.
Can I get doxycycline over the counter?
Can I buy doxycycline over-the-counter? No, you cant buy doxycycline over-the-counter. It is a prescription-only medication, meaning you must have a prescription from a doctor to buy it.
How long can you carry chlamydia?
Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.
Zinc Cafe New Havens Farm
You can cure chlamydia without visiting a doctor, but there are a few things you should know before trying any of them. The first step is to stop having sex for at least seven days. If you are taking antibiotics, take the entire course and avoid having sex for seven days after the last dose. This will ensure that you do not spread the infection.
Also Check: How To Know If You Have Chlamydia Without A Test
Four Curable Sexually Transmitted Infections
Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis, and syphilis are four potential outcomes of sex that wed all like to avoid. However, according to new global estimates, each day there are more than one million new cases of these sexually transmitted infections.
The worrying thing is, even though we have never known more about how to prevent these infections, rates of infection remain very high worldwide.
The good news is, these 4 infections are curable.
How To Clear Chlamydia Without Antibiotics
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. While we are unable to recommend any treatment not recommended by the CDC in the treatment of chlamydia there are some who have utilized alternative treatment to reduce infection but does not cure it. These remedies include garlic, turmeric, or dieting.
Don’t Miss: How Does It Take To Get Rid Of Chlamydia
How To Get Rid Of Chlamydia
If you are wondering how to cure chlamydia, the first step is to receive a diagnosis from a doctor after you get a lab test. If you test positive for chlamydia, you can get rid of the infection by taking a course of antibiotics prescribed by your physician. Chlamydia treatment for men and women primarily involves taking antibiotics.
How Does It Work
- Your doctor will give you either the medication Azithromycin, or a prescription for the medication to give to your sexual partner/s
- Its a way to get your sexual partners treated for Chlamydia without them having to see a doctor
- Its not available everywhere in Australia, but is offered by some publicly funded Sexual Health Clinics and Family Planning Clinics in NSW
- Telling sexual partners you have an STI can be difficult, but its the right thing to do
Also Check: Is It Possible To Get Chlamydia Without Cheating
Treatment For Chlamydia Without Seeing A Doctor
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
HealthTap doctors are based in the U.S., board certified, and available by text or video.
What Medication Is Prescribed For Chlamydia
Chlamydia is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection . While most patients who have been treated for chlamydia are asymptomatic, it is imperative to be treated if you or a partner may have been exposed. The CDC recommended treatment for chlamydia is Azithromycin 1 g by mouth in a single dose or Doxycycline 100 mg by mouth twice a daily for 7 day. These options are equally as effective and chosen based on preference and patience tolerance to antibiotics.
Recommended Reading: How Long After Getting Chlamydia Do You Get Symptoms
When To Visit Doctor And When Not For Chlamydia Case
You can cure chlamydia without visiting doctor. Chlamydia is a silent disease and it is very difficult to find out the symptoms of it. If women or males even face minute symptoms of it then should visit a doctor for checking it. Now, one can find Chlamydia testing Center near to their doorsteps. Nowadays samples are taken for Nucleic acid amplification tests which are the most efficient test for detecting Chlamydia. In women, a swab is taken. There are various antibiotic medicines available in the market for Chlamydia and it is fully curable. If someone tests positive then he/she can take medicine available in the market. But if someone faces complications even after consuming over the counter chlamydia antibiotics and medicine then he/she should visit a doctor immediately.
Sex Partners Need Treatment Too
If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, you will need to tell all of your sexual partners, because they will need the same treatment you are receiving.
In most states, a doctor or other healthcare provider can give you the medicine that your partner or partners will need to take. Then you can deliver it to those partners. This practice is called expedited partner therapy or patient delivered partner therapy.
These options can help a lot if your partner doesnt have a healthcare provider or feels embarrassed about seeking care, says Dr. Dombrowski.
Its natural to feel nervous or upset about having to tell your partner or partners about having an STD. Your healthcare provider can help with this problem. They may even rehearse the conversation with you, says Dombrowksi.
Learning about chlamydia and seeking advice from a healthcare provider about how to discuss it with your partner can help you handle the conversation with less anxiety and more confidence.
Remember, chlamydia is not just common: It is the most common infection reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . You are being helpful, mature, and responsible by telling your partners.
Also Check: What Is Azithromycin 500mg Used To Treat Chlamydia
How Long Does It Take Chlamydia To Go Away Without Treatment
Diagnosis and treatmentChlamydia typically goes away within 1 to 2 weeks. You should avoid sex during this time to prevent transmitting the disease.
How did I get chlamydia and my partner didn t?
Yes, it is possible to contract a STI from someone who tested negative if they were positive for an STI that they werent tested for. Or if they were positive for an STI in a location that didnt get tested, such as in the mouth and throat.
How long can chlamydia stay in your body?
Chlamydia can stay dormant in a persons body for years without apparent symptoms. In some cases, symptoms appear within 2-14 days after infection. However, some people, especially men, may have Chlamydia for years without knowing it.
Can You Get Pneumonia From Chlamydia
Chlamydia pneumonia is a type of bacteria that can enter the respiratory tract and cause lung infections such as pneumonia. It is transmitted by inhaling droplets of the bacteria from the cough or sneeze of an infected person.
In contrast, the sexually transmitted disease called chlamydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis. This bacteria is in the same general species as Chlamydia pneumonia, but it is a different bacteria and is not transmitted via respiratory droplets.
Also Check: How Long Before Chlamydia Shows Up
Treatment For Chlamydia Is Quick And Easy
Two antibiotics are most often used for treating chlamydia:
- Azithromycin The main treatment for chlamydia is one gram of azithromycin, taken one time, says , deputy director of clinical services for public health with the Seattle and King County HIV and STD Program in Washington. That one gram comes as either two pills or four pills. It is not expensive.
- Doxycycline If your doctor prescribes doxycycline, you will take two pills daily for one week. It costs somewhat more than azithromycin.
Antibiotics can also cure chlamydia in infants, who can get the infection from their mothers, and treatment is essential for them. Without treatment, infants infected with chlamydia can develop conjunctivitis, which can cause blindness, or pneumonia, which can be fatal.
Does Chlamydia Treatment Have Side Effects
An antibiotic called Doxycycline is the most common medicine used to treat chlamydia. Like most medicines, it can cause mild side effects. The most common side effects of Doxycycline are nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, loss of appetite, mild diarrhea, skin rash or itching, change in skin color, vaginal itching, or discharge. These side effects should go away after you finish taking the medicine. Talk to your nurse or doctor about any medicines youre already taking and any medical issues you already have before taking Doxycycline.
Recommended Reading: Can You Tell How Long You Had Chlamydia
How Long Can You Have Chlamydia Without Knowing
Chlamydia is sometimes called a silent infection because the majority of people who have chlamydia regardless of gender never notice symptoms. People who do notice symptoms often dont recognize the signs that they have chlamydia until a few weeks after theyve been infected. Because chlamydia cases are often asymptomatic, its easy to spread chlamydia to someone else without realizing it. And its easy to miss out on receiving the treatment needed to prevent the serious complications that can result from chlamydia.
Natural Ways To Treat Chlamydia Without Going Doctor
In research, it is proved that no natural remedy can cure Chlamydia till now. But there are various natural supplements available which can cure the immune system which is the main cause of having Chlamydia. Some of them are:-
Don’t Miss: Chlamydia And Uti Same Antibiotics
Strategy For Std Surge: Treat Patients Partners Without A Doctor Visit
Anna Gorman
If patients return to Dr. Crystal Bowe soon after taking medication for a sexually transmitted infection, she usually knows the reason: Their partners have re-infected them.
While you tell people not to have sex until both folks are treated, they just dont wait, she said. So they are passing the infection back and forth.
Thats when Bowe, who practices on both sides of the North and South Carolina border, does something doctors are often reluctant to do: She prescribes the partners antibiotics without meeting them.
Federal health officials have recommended this practice, known as expedited partner therapy, for chlamydia and gonorrhea since 2006. It allows doctors to prescribe medication to their patients partners without examining them. The idea is to prevent the kind of reinfections described by Bowe and stop the transmission of STDs to others.
However, many physicians arent taking the federal governments advice because of entrenched ethical and legal concerns.
Health care providers have a long tradition of being hesitant to prescribe to people they havent seen, said Edward Hook, professor at the University of Alabamas medical school in Birmingham. There is a certain skepticism.
STDs are everywhere, said Dr. Cornelius Jamison, a lecturer at the University of Michigan Medical School. We have to figure out how to prevent the spread of these infections. And its necessary to be able to treat multiple people at once.
Getting Treated For Chlamydia And Often Gonorrhea
If you have your own doctor, he will prescribe the antibiotics you need to treat chlamydia. If you dont have your own doctor, you can often find free or low-cost care at either a Planned Parenthood site or a community health clinic.
Listen carefully to the instructions for taking the medicine that you are given by the doctor or other healthcare provider, and follow them closely.
Ask questions if you dont understand something. Also, if you have other questions as you take your medicine, you can always call the pharmacist for help. They are often easier to reach than the doctor.
If you test positive for chlamydia, your healthcare provider is likely to also recommend that you be treated for gonorrhea. This is because the cost of treating gonorrhea is less than the cost of testing for the infection.
You May Like: Do Chlamydia Symptoms Go Away
What Are The Treatments For Chlamydia
If you are diagnosed with chlamydia, your doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics. A single dose of azithromycin or taking doxycycline twice daily for 7 to 14 days are the most common treatments and are the same for those with or without HIV.
With treatment, the infection should clear up in about a week. Do not have sex for at least 7 days until you have taken all of your medication, and do not stop taking the antibiotics even if you feel better.
Your doctor will also recommend that your partner be treated as well to prevent reinfection and further spread of the disease.
Women with serious infections, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, may require a longer course of antibiotics or hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics. Some severe pelvic infections may require surgery in addition to antibiotic therapy.
Make sure you get retested after three months to be certain the infection is gone. Do this even if your partner has been treated and appears to be infection free.
Why Is It Important To Treat Chlamydia
If left untreated chlamydia is unlikely to go away. It can be passed onto sexual partners and can cause serious harm. Women can get cervicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease. This can result in permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, which may lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy. Chlamydia also can cause a reactive arthritis. Men can suffer with urethritis , this can spread to the contents of the scrotal sac – epididymis and testicles. This causes pain, and in severe cases infertility. Men can also get a reactive arthritis.
Also Check: How Long Can Chlamydia Go Undetected
What Happens If Chlamydia Isn’t Treated
Only some people who have chlamydia will have complications. If chlamydia is treated early, its unlikely to cause any long-term problems. But, without proper treatment, the infection can spread to other parts of the body. The more times you have chlamydia the more likely you are to get complications.
- If you have a vulva, chlamydia can spread to other reproductive organs causing pelvic inflammatory disease . This can lead to long-term pelvic pain, blocked fallopian tubes, infertility and ectopic pregnancy .
- In people with a vulva, chlamydia can also cause pain and inflammation around the liver, though this is rare. This usually gets better with the correct antibiotic treatment.