What Pills Do You Take For Chlamydia

Complementary And Alternative Medicine

If you have a viral STD, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking any herbal medicines or nutritional supplements to ensure doing so is safe given any other medications you may be taking.

There are a few complementary treatments that are being explored for the treatment of certain viral STDs:

• Herpes: Propolis, a sticky substance bees produce from tree sap, is found to speed the healing of herpes lesions. Algae extract is being studied as a possible herpes treatment. Some people also find relief of herpes pain from acupuncture.
• HIV/AIDS:Medical marijuana may help with pain, reduce nausea, and stimulate your appetite. Yoga and meditation can help ease pain, as well as alleviate feelings of stress and depression that often come with an HIV diagnosis.

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Is There An Over Counter Treatment For Chlamydia

No, the CDC recommended treatment for chlamydia requires a prescription, but you do not need to visit the doctorâs office in person to get a prescription. Technology has made doctor visits online quick and easy. Just complete an online consultation visit and a prescription can be sent to a local pharmacy.

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 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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What Happens If Chlamydia Isn`t Treated

Not all people with Chlamydia will experience any complications. If the infection gets treatment early, it won`t probably cause any long-term damages. Still, with no treatment Chlamydia will spread to other body parts. The more times you get infected with it, the more like it is for you to experience complications.

• In men this condition may lead to an infection of the testicles and maybe even infertility.
• In women this infection may lead to inflammation and pain around the liver. With proper treatment, this usually gets better in time.
• In women this medical condition may spread to other important body organs leading to PID. In turn, this may lead to long-term damages, such as ectopic pregnancy, pelvic pain, infertility and blocked fallopian tubes.
• In both man and women More rarely, this infection may lead to joint inflammation. This is also known as SARA and it`s on occasion accompanied by eye and urethral inflammation. It occurs more rarely in women than men.

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.

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How Is Chlamydia Treated

Chlamydia can be easily treated with a short course of antibiotics. You may be able to take all the antibiotics in one day, or over a week, depending on the type of treatment you are prescribed.

Its important to not have sex until you and your current sexual partner/s have finished treatment. If youve had the one-day course of treatment, you should avoid having sex for seven days afterwards. Ask your healthcare professional when its safe to have sex again.

Remember that if youve been treated for chlamydia you are not immune and you can get infected again.

Is It Possible To Prevent Chlamydia

Since most people who have the infection do not have symptoms and may not be aware they are infected, it is commonly spread, and it can be difficult to prevent the infection. Male condoms can reduce the risk of spreading or acquiring the infection. Having a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested or treated also reduces the risk of contracting chlamydia infection.

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How Do You Prevent Chlamydia

Using a new male or female condom or dental dam every time you have sex is the best way to protect against chlamydia.

Chlamydia can be passed on by sharing sex toys. Always cover sex toys with a new condom and wash them after use to reduce your risk of getting chlamydia and other STIs.

Its important to regularly test for chlamydia, even if you dont have any symptoms, especially if youve had multiple sexual partners.

The contraceptive pill and other types of contraception wont prevent you getting chlamydia, and neither will PrEP.

Can Chlamydia Be Prevented

The only sure way to prevent chlamydia is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading chlamydia. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Letting Partners Know You Have Chlamydia

Sexual partners may be infected too. If you have chlamydia, anyone you have had sex with from the last 6 months needs to be informed, tested and treated.

If they dont know, they could reinfect you or infect someone else if they are not treated. dont receive treatment.

Most people will appreciate being told they may have an infection and it is an important step in preventing further infection in the community.

Your local GP and sexual health centre can help you inform your partners and let them know that they need a test. This process is called partner notification. It can be done anonymously, and your confidentiality is always respected.

You can also anonymously notify your sexual partners of the need to get tested and treated for chlamydia via the Let Them Know website if you feel unable to speak to them personally.

There are also nurses who can help you anonymously notify your partners. They can be contacted on .

Azithromycin Vs Doxycycline For Chlamydia

Azithromycin and doxycycline are the most commonly prescribed drugs to treat chlamydia.

While azithromycin is prescribed in a single, one-gram dose taken orally, doxycycline is typically prescribed in a 100-milligram dose taken orally twice a day for seven days.

A 2014 meta analysis of 23 studies found that doxycycline had a slightly higher efficacy compared with azithromycin.

However, other research suggests that treatment with a single oral dose of azithromycin appears to be as safe and efficacious as a seven-day course of doxycycline for the treatment of uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection.

Talk to your healthcare provider about which medication is best for you.

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How Common Is Nausea With Azithromycin

Anrrheas are characterized by an 8 mm diameter. The percentage of nausea is 5%, and the percentage of vomiting is 6%. Vaginitis and otitis media were the most common diagnoses. Pain in the abdomen , hip pain , and back pain . The rate of anorexia is 9%, and the rate of bulimia is 1%. The rash and pruritus are both 9%), and the lip is also 1%. 9%).

What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia

Many people with chlamydia dont have any symptoms. If you do get symptoms, you may not notice them until several weeks after infection. Other people might not have any symptoms for several months.

Signs of chlamydia in women include:

• increase in vaginal discharge
• pain or burning when urinating
• pain during sex and/or bleeding after sex
• pain in the lower stomach especially when having sex
• bleeding between periods and/or heavier periods.

Signs of chlamydia in men include:

• white, cloudy or watery discharge from the penis
• pain or burning when urinating
• pain and/or swelling in the testicles.

You can also get chlamydia infection in your anus, eyes and throat. For both men and women, this can cause pain, discharge or bleeding in the anus, or inflammation of the eye . Chlamydia in the throat does not usually have any symptoms.

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 womens 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.

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Follow Up With Your Doctor As Directed:

Write down your questions so you remember to ask them during your visits.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

What Happens If You Dont Get Treated For Chlamydia

Even though chlamydia is common and doesnt usually cause any symptoms, it can become a big deal if its not caught and treated early.

Chlamydia can spread to your uterus and fallopian tubes if it goes untreated for a long time. This can cause you to have pelvic inflammatory disease . PID can cause permanent damage that leads to pain, infertility, or ectopic pregnancy. So getting tested regularly for chlamydia really lowers your chances of getting PID.

If you have a penis, a chlamydia infection can spread to your epididymis if its left untreated, and can cause chronic joint pain. Rarely, it can make you infertile.

Having chlamydia may increase your chances of getting or spreading HIV.

If you have chlamydia during your pregnancy and dont treat it, you can pass it to your baby when youre giving birth. Chlamydia can also cause eye infections and pneumonia in newborns, and it also increases the risk of delivering your baby too early.

Testing and treatment for chlamydia is quick, easy, and the best way to avoid all of these problems.

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Urogenital Infection In Men

• References

In men, chlamydial infection of the lower genital tract causes urethritis and, on occasion, epididymitis. Urethritis is secondary to C. trachomatis infection in approximately 15 to 55 percent of men, although the prevalence is lower among older men.2 Symptoms, if present, include a mild to moderate, clear to white urethral discharge. This is best observed in the morning, before the patient voids. To observe the discharge, the penis may need to be milked by applying pressure from the base of the penis to the glans.

The diagnosis of nongonococcal urethritis can be confirmed by the presence of a mucopurulent discharge from the penis, a Gram stain of the discharge with more than five white blood cells per oil-immersion field, and no intracellular gram-negative diplococci.2 A positive result on a leukocyte esterase test of first-void urine or a microscopic examination of first-void urine showing 10 or more white blood cells per high-powered field also confirms the diagnosis of urethritis.

For diagnosis of C. trachomatis infection in men with suspected urethritis, the nucleic acid amplification technique to detect chlamydial and gonococcal infections is best .4 Empiric treatment should be considered for patients who are at high risk of being lost to follow-up.

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Frequently Asked Questionsexpand All

• What is a sexually transmitted infection ?

  A sexually transmitted infection is an infection spread by sexual contact. There are many STIs. This FAQ focuses on chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. These STIs can cause long-term health problems and problems during pregnancy. Having an STI also increases the risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus if you are exposed to it.

• What is chlamydia?

  Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STI in the United States. Chlamydia is caused by a type of bacteria, which can be passed from person to person during vaginal sex, oral sex, or anal sex. Infections can occur in the mouth, reproductive organs, urethra, and rectum. In women, the most common place for infection is the cervix .

• What are the risk factors for chlamydia?

  The following factors increase the risk of getting chlamydia:

• Having a new sex partner

• Having more than one sex partner

• Having a sex partner who has more than one sex partner

• Having sex with someone who has an STI

• Having an STI now or in the past

• Not using condoms consistently when not in a mutually monogamous relationship

• Exchanging sex for money or drugs

How Many Times Can You Take Chlamydia Pills

The doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics if you are diagnosed with chlamydia. It is most common to take azithromycin or doxycycline twice daily for 7 to 14 days, and it is equally common for people without HIV or those with HIV to take them. It should take about a week for the infection to clear up with treatment.

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How Long Does It Take For Chlamydia To Go Away After Taking The Medicine

In most cases, chlamydia disappears within one to two weeks. During this time, you should avoid sex in order to prevent the spread of the disease. It is possible for your doctor to prescribe a one-dose medication or a medication you will take every day for about a week. It is recommended that you wait 7 days before having sex again if you are prescribed a one-dose pill.

What Does A Chlamydia Test Involve

• If you have a vulva, you may be asked to take a swab around the inside of your vagina yourself.
• A doctor or nurse may take a swab during an internal examination of your vagina and cervix .
• You may be asked to provide a urine sample. Before having this test, youre advised not to pass urine for 12 hours.
• A doctor or nurse may take a swab from the entrance of the urethra .
• If youve had anal or oral sex, a doctor or nurse may swab your rectum or throat . These swabs arent done routinely on everyone.
• If you have symptoms of conjunctivitis swabs will be used to collect a sample of discharge from your eye.

A swab looks a bit like a cotton bud but is smaller and rounded. It sometimes has a small plastic loop on the end rather than a cotton tip. Its wiped over the parts of the body that could be infected. This only takes a few seconds and isnt painful, though it may be uncomfortable for a moment.

Cervical screening and routine blood tests dont detect chlamydia.

If youre not sure whether youve been tested for chlamydia, just ask.

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Can I Get Over The Counter Pills For Chlamydia

It is not possible to treat chlamydia with over-the-counter medications. The most effective way to treat chlamydia is with antibiotics, which are only available with a prescription. It is possible for bacteria, such as Chlamydia trachomatis, to become resistant to antibiotics if they are overused in a population.

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How Is Chlamydia Diagnosed

You can only detect chlamydia through tests ordered by your GP or sexual health clinic.

The best tests for women are doctor-collected cervical/vaginal swabs, self-collected vaginal swabs and urine sample tests.

Men usually have a urine sample sent for tests. Men who have sex with men also may have rectal and/or throat swabs taken.

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