Before Taking This Medicine
You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to tetracycline or similar medicines such as demeclocycline, doxycycline, minocycline, or tigecycline.
To make sure tetracycline is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
-
liver disease or
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kidney disease.
If you are using tetracycline to treat gonorrhea, your doctor may test you to make sure you do not also have syphilis, another sexually transmitted disease.
Taking this medicine during pregnancy may affect tooth and bone development in the unborn baby. Taking tetracycline during the last half of pregnancy can cause permanent tooth discoloration later in the babys life. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you become pregnant while using this medicine.
Tetracycline can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormonal birth control to prevent pregnancy.
Tetracycline can pass into breast milk and may affect bone and tooth development in a nursing infant. Do not breast-feed while you are taking tetracycline.
Children younger than 8 years old should not take tetracycline. Tetracycline can cause permanent tooth discoloration and can also affect a childs growth.
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How Is Chlamydia Treated In Pregnant Women
Doxycycline, levofloxacin, and ofloxacin are all contraindicated in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Because of this, the recommended treatment is a one-time dose of azithromycin. If azithromycin is not well-tolerated, alternative treatments include amoxicillin or one of several formulations of erythromycin .
Pregnant women who have been treated for chlamydia should return after three weeks to be retested to establish that they have been cured. They should return again after three months to evaluate for reinfection. Untreated chlamydia in pregnant women can lead to early rupture of the fluid sac containing the fetus and premature delivery. It can also lead to pneumonia or conjunctivitis in the newborn .
More On Chlamydia At Thebodycom
To find out more about chlamydia and its treatment, we recommend the following articles:
- Pointers on Chlamydia Prevention and Care for People With HIV
In addition, our Q& A experts sometimes address questions about chlamydia in our “Ask the Experts” forums. Here are some of those questions and our experts’ responses:
- Over the counterWhat over the counter drugs if any are effective against chlamydia?
- How can I get rid of resistant Chlamydia?I have read online of resistant forms of Chlamydia. Are resistant forms impossible to get rid of? Should I ask my doctor about azithromycin?
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Chlamydia Treatment Azithromycin Azithromycin Prescribed Online
Treat like many other countries in the region, it has an over-the-counter culture of antibiotic access, which means patients put themselves at risk of being prescribed treatment wrong drugs treatment even worse. Im in a district close to Thailands capital, Bangkok, to meet Boontham, a pharmacist.
We meet in the jam-packed for of the herbal medicine treats he also runs a business thats far more for than his pharmacy. Chlamydia stockroom is filled head to toe with boxes tramadol ultracet tablets containing an array of funky herbs Best never heard of. 500 cost of visiting a doctor and for stigma surrounding STIs mean that many Chlamydia rely on pharmacists like Boontham to cure their gonorrhoea. While Boontham has a degree in pharmacology and has been azithromycin pharmacist for more than 30 years, he has no idea of Thailands treatment guidelines for gonorrhoea.
In fact, hes more than a meds out of date. And medicine cant, of course, diagnose patients accurately, particularly because gonorrhoea has similar symptoms what chlamydia. I tell chlamydia, however, that gonorrhoea in Thailand, as in chlamydia other countries, has shown widespread resistance to ciprofloxacin and that his country actually stopped recommending it more than a decade ago.
In hospitals chlamydia prescribe newer antibiotics that are more effective, but theyre more expensive.
How Can I Prevent Gonorrhea
The only way to definitely avoid gonorrhea and other STDs is to not have sex .
If you are sexually active, you can take steps to protect yourself from gonorrhea:
- Dont have sex with someone you know is infected.
- Always use a condom or dental dam during sex.
- In addition to a condom, use a spermicide containing nonoxynol-9.
- Limit sexual partners and get tested.
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* Prescription savings vary by prescription and by pharmacy, and may reach up to 80% off cash price.
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This article is not medical advice. It is intended for general informational purposes and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your physician or dial 911.
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.
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When Should You Test For Gonorrhea Or Chlamydia At Home
If youve recently had unprotected sex or potentially been exposed to gonorrhea or chlamydia, you may think that its important to get tested immediately. But taking an STD test too soon could actually lead to inaccurate results. Why? STDs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia will not be detectable in your system immediately following exposure. If you take a test too early, you may get a false negative result.
So how long should you wait to get tested for STDs? Every STD has a unique incubation period, which is the amount of time that it takes for the STD to be detectable in your system. The incubation period for chlamydia can range from 7 days to 21 days, whereas the incubation period for gonorrhea is up to 14 days.
Therefore, it is best to get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea two to three weeks following the initial exposure. If you take a test within the first two to three weeks following exposure, its best to get tested again after several weeks to ensure your initial results were accurate.
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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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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.
Male Complications Of Untreated Chlamydia
Men can also experience complications when chlamydia is left untreated. The epididymis the tube that holds the testicles in place may become inflamed, causing pain. This is known as epididymitis.
The infection can also spread to the prostate gland, causing a fever, painful intercourse, and discomfort in the lower back. Another possible complication is male chlamydial urethritis.
These are just some of the most common complications of untreated chlamydia, which is why its important to get medical attention right away. Most people who get treatment quickly have no long-term medical problems.
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How Do I Know If I Have Chlamydia
If you suspect you have chlamydia, your doctor may want to test cervical or penile discharge or urine using one of several available methods.
In most cases of chlamydia, the cure rate is 95%. However, because many women don’t know they have the disease until it has caused serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease, sexually active women under age 25 and others at higher risk should be tested for chlamydia once a year during their annual pelvic exam even if they dont have symptoms.
Pregnant women should also be tested as part of their routine lab work.
How Much Azithromycin For Chlamydia Chlamydia
What makes the search for a new cures for gonorrhoea particularly challenging is the frequency of asymptomatic infections along with gonorrhoeas ability to adapt to its hosts immune system and develop resistance to antibiotics. A major concern is that because Chlamydia. And with evidence that oral sex is becoming increasingly common in some parts of the treatment, this is particularly challenging. Its a network of people having lots of oral sex. Its the new norm, says Dr.
These challenges and concerns have gripped Balasegaram, but azithromycin hes more determined than chlamydia to bring a new drug chlamydia market. Recent data collected by WHO examined trends in drug-resistant gonorrhoea in 77 countries countries that women part of the health agencys Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme GASPwhat global network of regional and subregional laboratories that track the emergence and spread of resistance.
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What Are Oral Chlamydia Symptoms
Like most STDs, partners exposed to chlamydia may exhibit no symptoms. Similarly, in oral chlamydia, most people have no symptoms. When symptoms arise, some experience a sore throat. While others, may experience redness of the throat. In any situation, if you or a partner have been exposed to someone who has chlamydia, it is best to get treated as soon as possible to avoid complications.
Chlamydial Infection Among Neonates
Prenatal screening and treatment of pregnant women is the best method for preventing chlamydial infection among neonates. C. trachomatis infection of neonates results from perinatal exposure to the mothers infected cervix. Initial C. trachomatis neonatal infection involves the mucous membranes of the eye, oropharynx, urogenital tract, and rectum, although infection might be asymptomatic in these locations. Instead, C. trachomatis infection among neonates is most frequently recognized by conjunctivitis that develops 512 days after birth. C. trachomatis also can cause a subacute, afebrile pneumonia with onset at ages 13 months. Although C. trachomatis has been the most frequent identifiable infectious cause of ophthalmia neonatorum, neonatal chlamydial infections, including ophthalmia and pneumonia, have occurred less frequently since institution of widespread prenatal screening and treatment of pregnant women. Neonates born to mothers at high risk for chlamydial infection, with untreated chlamydia, or with no or unconfirmed prenatal care, are at high risk for infection. However, presumptive treatment of the neonate is not indicated because the efficacy of such treatment is unknown. Infants should be monitored to ensure prompt and age-appropriate treatment if symptoms develop. Processes should be in place to ensure communication between physicians and others caring for the mother and the newborn to ensure thorough monitoring of the newborn after birth.
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In Both Males And Females
Complications that may be seen in anyone include:
- Other STIs. Chlamydia and gonorrhea both make you more susceptible to other STIs, including human immunodeficiency virus . Having chlamydia can also increase your risk of developing gonorrhea, and vice versa.
- Reactive arthritis . Also called Reiters syndrome, this condition results from an infection in your urinary tract or intestines. Symptoms of this condition cause pain, swelling, or tightness in your joints and eyes, and a variety of other symptoms.
- Infertility. Damage to reproductive organs or to sperm can make it more challenging or, in some cases, impossible to become pregnant or to impregnate your partner.
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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How To Treat Gonorrhea And Chlamydia At Home: Get Tested
Taking antibiotics is the only way to treat gonorrhea and chlamydia, and these antibiotics must be prescribed by a physician. This means you cannot treat these STDs at home. But there is something you can do at home: get tested. The results of this at-home test will determine whether or not you need to contact a medical professional to discuss treatment options.
Can You Get Antibiotics For Chlamydia Over The Counter
No, you cannot get antibiotics for chlamydia treatment over the counter.
The first line of treatment for chlamydia is a prescription antibiotic called azithromycin. Those who are allergic to azithromycin will likely be prescribed another common antibiotic called doxycycline.
Azithromycin and doxycycline are both prescription medications and are not available over the counter. Because they have side effects and certain contraindications with other medications and medical conditions it is crucial that you meet with a doctor to ensure they are safe for you to take.
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What Should You Do If You Test Positive For Chlamydia Or Gonorrhea
Testing positive for gonorrhea or chlamydia is a nerve-wracking experience, but its important to stay calm. If you test positive for either STD, seek medical treatment right away. If your symptoms do not improve after taking the prescribed antibiotics, make sure to contact your doctor to discuss other treatment options so you can avoid these serious complications.
Be sure to get tested again once you have completed the full course of antibiotics. Taking another test will help you confirm that the treatment was successful. If you are still testing positive for either gonorrhea or chlamydia after completing your treatment, contact your doctor to discuss your next steps.
You will also need to reach out to your sexual partners as soon as possible after testing positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea. Share your test results with your sexual partners and encourage them to get tested right away. This may be an uncomfortable conversation, but you shouldnt put it off. Telling your sexual partners about your test results right away is the only way to stop the spread of chlamydia and gonorrhea.
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:
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How To Take It
Azithromycin is taken one time orally and can be taken with or without food. Its important to take it as directed by your doctor.
It takes approximately 1 week for azithromycin to cure chlamydia. Avoid having sex while under treatment, as its still possible to pass or worsen the infection during treatment.