Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
How is it treated?
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and trichomoniasis are bacterial infections and are treated and cured with antibiotics (medications used to treat infections caused by bacteria). Treatment is crucial to prevent the spread of these STIs. The treatment of all sexual partners (past and present) helps prevent re-infection and further spread of the disease. It is also important to treat pregnant women to prevent transmission to infants during birth. Since most people infected with gonorrhea are often also infected with chlamydia, it is now recommended that all patients being treated for gonorrhea also be treated for chlamydia.
The selection of an antibiotic to treat an STI will depend on several factors. These include the following:
- The actual bacteria causing the infection
- Allergies you have to various antibiotics
- Severity of the infection
- Resistance to antibiotics that you may have because of past treatment
Treating Chlamydia
For most cases of uncomplicated chlamydial infections, doxycycline 100mg orally twice a day for 7 days or azithromycin 1,000mg orally one time is the treatment of choice. For patients who can not take these medications, or in cases where complications are apparent, oral antibiotics including erythromycin, ofloxacin, amoxicillin, and sulfisoxazole may be used. Another alternative is ceftriaxone, which is given by injection into a muscle as a one time dose.
Treating Gonorrhea
Most cases of uncomplicated gonorrheal infections can be effectively treated with ceftriaxone 125mg given by injection into a muscle as a one time dose, or cefixime 400 mg orally in a single dose. Each of these treatment regimens should be accompanied by a treatment regimen for chlamydia (those treatments are discussed above). Ongoing data from the CDC demonstrate that gonorrheal infections have become resistant to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. As a consequence, as of 2007 this class of antibiotics is no longer recommended for the treatment of gonorrhea in the United States.
Treating Syphilis
Penicillin, given either as an injection into the muscle (intramuscular - IM) or as an injection directly into a vein (intravenous - IV) is the treatment of choice for all stages of syphilis. For patients who cannot take penicillin, oral antibiotics such as doxycycline, tetracycline, or erythromycin may be used.
Treating Trichomoniasis
The usual treatment is a single large dose of oral metronidazole, or split doses over the course of a week. Sexual partners of an infected individual must also be treated, to prevent the infection being passed back and forth. Treatment is important because studies suggest that trichomoniasis may increase a pregnant woman?s risk of premature delivery and may also increase the risk of HIV transmission.
Women who are taking antibiotics for other illnesses should speak to their health care provider about the possible effects of the medication(s) on the balance of organisms in their vagina. There are a certain amount of ?good? bacteria that live in the vagina, and the more metronidazole or other antibiotics you take the more the chance your ?good? bacteria is abolished leaving your vaginal area vulnerable to other infections.
Regardless of the chosen antibiotic, it is important to remember to take the entire course of antibiotics prescribed by your physician. Many individuals take their medication only until they feel better, and this can allow an infection to return with even greater severity in the near future. Not finishing the full course of treatment may also prevent that antibiotic from working well in the treatment of other individuals. To learn more about the different types of antibiotics used to treat chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, click on the drug class links below.
Treating Genital Herpes
There is no treatment that can cure genital herpes; the virus will always be in your body. Certain drugs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir can shorten outbreaks and make them less severe, or stop them from occurring. Depending on your needs, your doctor can give you drugs to take right after getting outbreak symptoms or drugs that you can take on a regular basis to try to stop outbreaks from occurring. When used along with safe sex practices, valacyclovir can also help prevent you from passing the infection to someone else. Talk to your doctor about which treatment plan is best for you.
During outbreaks, these steps can speed healing and prevent spreading of the infection to other sites of the body or to other people.
- Keep the infected area clean and dry.
- Try not to touch the sores.
- Wash hands after contact.
- Avoid sexual contact from the time the symptoms are first noticed until the sores have healed.
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How is it treated?
