Why Is This Medication Prescribed
Ceftriaxone injection is used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria such as gonorrhea , pelvic inflammatory disease , meningitis , and infections of the lungs, ears, skin, urinary tract, blood, bones, joints, and abdomen. Ceftriaxone injection is also sometimes given before certain types of surgery to prevent infections that may develop after the operation. Ceftriaxone injection is in a class of medications called cephalosporin antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria.
Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone injection will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.Using antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.
How Does Chlamydia Treatment Work
Chlamydia treatment works by stopping the bacteria that causes chlamydia from producing an important protein which it needs to multiply. This stops the bacteria from growing and replicating, so your symptoms should improve as your body is cleared of chlamydia.
The first line treatment for chlamydia in the UK is doxycycline. The usual dose is one tablet to be taken twice daily for 7 days. You can swallow doxycycline tablets whole with water and take them with or without food. You should sit up for about 30 minutes after each dose to prevent symptoms of throat irritation or stomach upset.
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Where Can I Get A Test
There are a number of services you can go to. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with.
A chlamydia test can be done at:
- a genitourinary medicine or sexual health clinic
- your general practice
- contraception and young peoples clinics
- some pharmacies.
Abortion clinics, antenatal services and some gynaecology services may also offer a chlamydia test.
In England, if youre a woman aged under 25 years old, you may be offered a chlamydia test as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme when you visit some service for other reasons, for example at a pharmacy or your GP.
The NCSP aims to identify people without symptoms to reduce the complications of untreated infection. If chlamydia is not treated, it can cause health complications, especially in women. Untreated chlamydia in women can cause pain in the pelvis, ectopic pregnancy and infertility .
If you are a woman aged under 25 years old and you are offered a chlamydia test as part of the NCSP you should consider taking it.
In many areas, free home self-sampling tests for chlamydia are available to order online. This is where you take your own sample and send it to be tested. See www.nhs.uk
Its also possible to buy a chlamydia test to do at home. The accuracy of these tests varies. Some types are very accurate when carried out according to the instructions, others can be less reliable. If you buy a testing kit make sure you get advice from a pharmacist or your doctor.
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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.
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How Long Does It Take
It takes about one week for azithromycin to completely cure a chlamydial infection, and in some cases it can take up to two weeks for the infection to clear.
If you are sexually active during this time, you can pass the infection to your partner, even if you have no symptoms. For these reasons, you should avoid having sex of any kind during treatment.
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Chlamydia Symptoms In Women
At least 70% of women with chlamydia dont notice any symptoms. If they do get symptoms, the most common include:
- pain when urinating
- pain in the tummy or pelvis
- pain or bleeding during sex
- bleeding after sex
- heavier periods than usual
If chlamydia is left untreated, it can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease . This is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.
Read more about the complications of chlamydia.
Does The Treatment Work
Usually, yes. You can infect another sex partner as soon as you get chlamydia. Most women and some men do not have early signs of the disease.
A pregnant women can also pass on the infection to her baby as it is being born. This can lead to infection of the eyes and lungs in the infant. It is important to inform people you have had sex with during the past 3 months because they may have the disease and not know they need treatment. Your public health nurse will contact your partner if you prefer. Your name will be kept confidential.
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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.
How Common Is Oral Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most common STI in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ,1.7 million cases of chlamydia are tested every year. As chlamydia is asymptomatic in many people, it is assumed that the number of infected individuals who are infected is much higher. A 2016 review of the literature investigated the presence of pharyngeal chlamydia in women in the U.S, men who have sex with women, and men who have sex with men. The report shows that:
- 0.2-3.2% of women have pharyngeal chlamydia
- 0-22.0% of men who have sex with women have pharyngeal chlamydia
- 0-3.6% of men who have sex with men have pharyngeal chlamydia
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How Can Chlamydia Be Prevented
Latex male condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of getting or giving chlamydia.53 The surest way to avoid chlamydia is to abstain from vaginal, anal, and oral sex, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.
Does Azithromycin Work For Chlamydia
Azithromycin works to treat genital chlamydia in both men and women by stopping the bacteria from multiplying.
Studiessuggest that a one-gram dosage has 97% efficacy.
That means that for every 100 people who take azithromycin to treat chlamydia, 97 will be cured and three will not be cured.
In order to effectively treat chlamydial infections, azithromycin should be taken as prescribed and until the dosage is completed.
Ending the medication early increases the chance that the bacteria will not be completely killed off.
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What You Need To Know About Azithromycin For Chlamydia Treatment
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in America.
In fact, in 2018, four million infections occurred in the U.S. However, many cases may go unreported because people with chlamydia are often asymptomatic and therefore dont know they have an infection.
Because chlamydia can go undetected, regular testing is extremely important in both fighting the spread of the infection and in treating it.
If you happen to test positive, the good news is, the vast majority of chlamydia cases can be cured easily with antibiotics such as azithromycin.
In this article, Ill explain if azithromycin treats chlamydia, who can take this antibiotic, the best dosage to treat chlamydia, and how to take it.
Then Ill break down how azithromycin compares with another antibiotic, doxycycline, for treating chlamydia.
Finally, Ill share everything you need to know about being tested for chlamydia.
Procedures And Study Population
The outpatient STI clinic of the South Limburg Public Health Service offers free-of-charge examination and treatment for STIs. The clinic has four fixed testing sites in South Limburg . The study population includes surveillance data from all patients 18 years and older who visited our STI clinic between August 2010 and October 2013 . At every new consultation, patients were tested urogenitally for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae on first-void urine or self-swab , and some of the patients were also tested anorectally by self-swab and/or oropharyngeally by nurse-taken swab . Testing was done by commercially available nucleic acid amplification tests positive N. gonorrhoeae tests were confirmed by an in-house PCR.
In accordance with national guidelines, patients who tested positive were asked to return for treatment with azithromycin or doxycycline or with ceftriaxone . From August 2010, we systematically registered whether patients had used antibiotics in the month preceding the screening test. An additional open question was asked about the type of regimen used patients filled in their prescribed course and/or their indication for use.
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Inflammation Of The Testicles
In men, chlamydia can spread to the testicles and epididymis , causing them to become painful and swollen. This is known as epididymitis or epididymo-orchitis. This is very rare.
The inflammation is usually treated with antibiotics. If its not treated, theres a possibility it could affect your fertility.
What Is The Treatment For Chlamydia
Chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics. HIV-positive persons with chlamydia should receive the same treatment as those who are HIV-negative.
Persons with chlamydia should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days after single dose antibiotics or until completion of a 7-day course of antibiotics, to prevent spreading the infection to partners. It is important to take all of the medication prescribed to cure chlamydia. Medication for chlamydia should not be shared with anyone. Although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair any permanent damage done by the disease. If a persons symptoms continue for more than a few days after receiving treatment, he or she should return to a health care provider to be reevaluated.
Repeat infection with chlamydia is common. Women whose sex partners have not been appropriately treated are at high risk for re-infection. Having multiple chlamydial infections increases a womans risk of serious reproductive health complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Women and men with chlamydia should be retested about three months after treatment of an initial infection, regardless of whether they believe that their sex partners were successfully treated.
Infants infected with chlamydia may develop ophthalmia neonatorum and/or pneumonia. Chlamydial infection in infants can be treated with antibiotics.
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Other Uses For This Medicine
Ceftriaxone injection is also sometimes used to treat sinus infections, endocarditis , chancroid , Lyme disease , relapsing fever , shigella , typhoid fever , salmonella , and Whipple’s disease . Ceftriaxone injection is also sometimes used to prevent infection in certain penicillin-allergic patients who have a heart condition and are having a dental or upper respiratory tract procedure, patients who have fever and are at high risk for infection because they have very few white blood cells, close contacts of someone who is sick with meningitis, and in people who have been sexually assaulted or who have been bitten by humans or animals. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using this medication for your condition.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
How Do I Know If I Have An Sti
Dont wait until you show symptoms, as you might never get any. If youve had unprotected sex then its important to get tested to make sure that you dont have an STI. Especially because infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea can be symptomless, you run the risk of infecting your partner, or any future partner.
You can visit a sexual health clinic to get tested where they will ask you questions about your sexual history before examining you. The tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea involve giving a urine sample and possibly a swab test from the vagina. If you prefer, you can order a test kit online to do at home.
If you test positive for one, or think that you have symptoms of one, then its advisable to get tested for all common STIs. It is possible to have multiple sexually transmitted infections.
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Who Can And Cant Take Doxycycline
Doxycycline can be taken by adults and children over 12 years old. Doxycycline is not usually recommended in pregnancy or when breastfeeding.
It isnt suitable for some people. To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
- ever had an allergic reaction to doxycycline or any other medicine in the past
- kidney problems
- myasthenia gravis, an illness that causes severe muscle wasting
Ophthalmia Neonatorum Caused By C Trachomatis
A chlamydial etiology should be considered for all infants aged 30 days who experience conjunctivitis, especially if the mother has a history of chlamydial infection. These infants should receive evaluation and age-appropriate care and treatment.
Preventing Ophthalmia Neonatorum Caused by C. trachomatis
Neonatal ocular prophylaxis with erythromycin, the only agent available in the United States for this purpose, is ineffective against chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum . As an alternative, prevention efforts should focus on prenatal screening for C. trachomatis, including
Neonates born to mothers for whom prenatal chlamydia screening has been confirmed and the results are negative are not at high risk for infection.
Diagnostic Considerations
Treatment
Erythromycin base or ethylsuccinate 50 mg/kg body weight/day orally, divided into 4 doses daily for 14 days*
* An association between oral erythromycin and azithromycin and infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis has been reported among infants aged < 6 weeks. Infants treated with either of these antimicrobials should be followed for IHPS signs and symptoms.
Although data regarding use of azithromycin for treating neonatal chlamydial infection are limited, available data demonstrate that a short therapy course might be effective . Topical antibiotic therapy alone is inadequate for treating ophthalmia neonatorum caused by chlamydia and is unnecessary when systemic treatment is administered.
Follow-Up
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Condom Use During The Treatment Period
- Avoid having sex without a condom during treatment because the infection can still be transmitted. Use condoms for 7 days after the start of treatment and until 7 days after all current sexual contacts have been treated.
- If you are on a combined oral contraceptive pill, use a condom for 14 days when having sex, as antibiotics can affect the reliability of the contraceptive pill.
After completing the treatment, phone your doctor or return to the clinic for a follow-up after 3 months to check you have not been re-infected.
Can You Get Chlamydia More Than Once
Yes, you can get the infection even if youve successfully treated it already.
A sexual partner who has chlamydia can transmit it to you again, even if youve already had it and treated it.
You can also get chlamydia again if it wasnt fully treated the first time. This can happen if you stop taking the necessary treatment. Its important to complete the antibiotics youve been given, even if your symptoms get better.
The CDC recommends getting tested 3 months after treatment of your initial infection to ensure the infection is cleared.
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What If I Forget To Take It
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless its nearly time for your next dose. In this case, just leave out the missed dose and take your next dose as normal.
Never take 2 doses at the same time. Never take an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one.
If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember your medicines.
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How Chlamydia Tests Are Carried
The experts will ask you for urine sample and in order to generate best results it is essential to refrain passing urine for at least two hours before taking the test sample. In case you were engaged in anal sex and are now experiences few symptoms of Chlamydia then it is important to visit GP and follow procedures for swab of your throat or rectrum.
These samples will be processed in laboratories and you will get final results within few days. But in case if you cannot wait so long then it is good to order a home Chlamydia testing kit and get it delivered within 48 hours.
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Christian J P A Hoebe
aDepartment of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, South Limburg Public Health Service, Geleen, the Netherlands
bDepartment of Medical Microbiology, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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