Azithromycin and Chlamydia
Author: Michiel Van Kets
There are many kinds of STD's, infections that can be transmitted from one person to another through sexual intercourse, and although not all can be cured they are mostly treatable. Some infections show no outward symptoms and so sufferers aren't always aware they have a problem and this is why they are spread so easily. Education and awareness in practicing safe sex is essential in the prevention of STD's and early diagnosis can lead to effective treatment.
Chlamydia is a common STD that affects over 4 million women every year. Very similar to gonorrhea it is a sexually transmitted disease generally through vaginal intercourse but occasionally also through oral sex or anal sex. The chlamydia bacterium is found in the cervix and urethra and can reside in the throat or rectum. Both males and females when infected seldom have any symptoms and can unwittingly spread the infection to other partners.
Chlamydia can cause urethritis in men which produces a discharge from the penis or pain when urinating. If it's not treated the testes can become painfully inflamed, and in time it can result in infertility.
In women the infection generally starts in the cervix, if there are any symptoms you will experience a vaginal discharge, burning when passing urine, lower abdominal pain, or pain when having intercourse.
If the infection isn't treated it can spread through the uterus to the fallopian tubes, causing salpingitis, a particularly painful condition which may possibly lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy. In a number of cases it can cause severe pelvic infection which eventually develops into pelvic inflammatory disease. Symptoms include fever, pelvic cramping, abdominal pain, or pain with sexual intercourse. In severe cases a localized area of infection and pus forms, and major surgery may be necessary.
As its common for infected women to have no symptoms, the infection is often left untreated throughout pregnancy and has been linked to a number of premature births. The baby can then contract it from the infected birth canal, leading to serious eye damage or pneumonia. Consequently, all infants are habitually treated with eye drops containing an antibiotic that destroys the bacteria.
If you think you may have an infection then an STD check-up will easily identify it. A swab test is generally used and if found you can be treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics such as azithromycin or doxycycline. Azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic and very effective in the treatment, and prevention, of various types of bacterial infections. There are no serious side effects, the most common are stomach upset, nausea and diarrhoea.
You can find information and help online, there are medical websites where you can order a chlamydia test kit through the post that includes all the instructions, a test request form, a urine sample bottle, transport container and re-paid pre-addressed padded envelope. You simply post the urine sample off directly to the designated laboratory and get your results within 7 days. If the test is negative then you are in the clear, if positive then you can also order Azithromycin online. Everything is completely confidential, deliveries are discreet in plain packaging, and the GP's prescribing the medication are experienced and registered with the General Medical Council.
Don't have sex for at least a week after treatment as you can still be infectious. If your partner is also having treatment, which is advised even if they have no symptoms, then wait a week after their treatment too. Be aware that Azithromycin can affect the oral contraceptive pill so take extra precautions in the first few weeks to ensure against the risk of pregnancy.
Chlamydia is the most widespread sexually transmitted disease in the UK, causing infertility in women. Many sufferers aren't even aware they have an infection. If you are sexually active, ensure you take a test once a year, or when you meet someone new. To be supersafe then always wear a condom.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/azithromycin-and-chlamydia-2667316.html
About the Author
Michiel Van Kets writes articles for Doctor Fox, an leading online pharmacy based in Bristol, UK, supplying medicine for conditions including malaria and jet lag where treatment on the NHS is not available. The site provides intensive background information for Azithromycin, a common treatment for Chlamydia. There are also resources on standby antibiotic, Azithromycin, for the treatment of traveller's diarrhea, which is to be carried and used as needed.
Sex after being treated for Chlamydia or Non-Specific Urethritis?
Friends been diagnosed with bacterial infection (Chlamydia or Non-Specific Urethritis). He was given the once off, four tables at once, treatment today. Wants to know how long he will have to wait till he can have full-protected sex? Some web pages say after 48 hrs but want to be sure before I tell him.
Treatment Overview
Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics. The disease does not cause long-term problems if it is treated early. Untreated chlamydia can lead to many complications.
Treatment is recommended for:
People who have positive chlamydia tests.
Sex partners within the last 60 days of people diagnosed with chlamydia—even if they do not have symptoms.
Newborns of women who have chlamydia at the time of delivery.
It is important to not have sex for 7 days after treatment for chlamydia.
If you are treated for chlamydia and your sex partner is not, you will probably become infected again. Encourage your partner to get treated. Use condoms to lower the chance of reinfection.
What To Think About
Some people who have chlamydia may also have gonorrhea. In that case, treatment includes antibiotics that kill both chlamydia and gonorrhea. For more information, see the topic Gonorrhea.
Reinfection can occur. Symptoms that continue after treatment are probably caused by another chlamydia infection rather than treatment failure. To prevent reinfection, sex partners need to be evaluated and treated.
Repeated chlamydia infections increase the risk for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Even one infection can lead to PID without proper treatment. Make sure to take your antibiotics exactly as prescribed. Take the full course of medicine, even if you feel better in a couple of days.
Some health professionals recommend retesting 3 to 12 months after treatment to reduce the risk of complications from reinfection.3
If you have chlamydia, your health professional will send a report to the state health department. Your personal information is kept confidential. The health department may contact you about telling your sex partner or partners that they may need treatment
why am i getting this discharge?
the discharge is white, not painful. i have not had sex for the whole month nor have i masturbated. last time i had sex was in january, the condom broke so i got tested for all stds and came out negative, all though in the ER they gave me the treatments for chlamydia and ghonorrea. i have to urinate frequently. the discharge usually comes right after a bowel movement (right after taking a dump). i just finished a medication called naproxen for a suspected urethritis, the medicines finished yesterday and my discharge started yesterday.
YES I KNOW I HAVE TO GO TO THE DOCTOR, I WILL EVENTUALLY, SO DON’T JUST TELL ME TO DO SO. ALSO DON’T JUST TELL ME ITS AN STD, BE SPECIFIC. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT I MIGHT POSSIBLY HAVE. THANK YOU.
Inflammation in urethra at tip of penis – antibiotics aren’t helping?
I have been experiencing a little irritation at the tip of my penis, around the opening of the urethra, with a very small amount of clear, beady, stringy discharge from time to time, and no other symptoms.
I’ve been suffering from this for about a month, and thought at first that it was related to an STD, so I visited a Planned Parenthood clinic, where I was given one time-doses of metronidazole (to treat possible trichomonas) and azithromycin. Symptoms appeared to be getting slowly better, though not as quickly as I’d imagined. By six days later, they were just about gone, and on the seventh day I woke up for the most part symptom-free, and then re-inflamed it by masturbating.
I called the P.P. clinic again and they recommended an urgent care clinic, because they had given me their strongest medication and weren’t able to give me an injection.
I visited an urgent care clinic (PrimaCare) and $400 later was given a prescription for another 1000mg of azithromycin and also a shot of rocephin by a doctor who couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong but thought more antibiotics might help at the very least. The urine sample did not show evidence of bacteria, and he didn’t seem to think that I had gonorrhea or chlamydia. After the treatment, he was fairly certain things would be better by the following morning. I’m still waiting to see if I’m to have another gradual climb to recovery, but wanted to know if anyone else has experienced something similar. I’ve been trying to read up on urethral inflammation, but the majority of information seems to be about STD-related urethritis, many symptoms of which I do not have. It’s pretty much just an irritation at the very tip of my penis, sometimes what seems to be about a centimeter or two inside.
Can I resume sexual activity? I’m not insane for sex, but I do feel the need to have an orgasm regularly, and abstaining from even self-pleasure is proving maddening when combined with this somewhat perturbing penile irritation. Part of me is scared that I have something that hasn’t been identified.