What Antibiotics Do They Give You For Chlamydia

Can You Just Wait For Chlamydia To Go Away On Its Own

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease the bacterial infection spreads from a womans cervix, through the uterus to the fallopian tubes and ovaries. PID can cause infertility, deep pelvic pain and increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
• Bartholinitis a condition where the glands that secrete mucus to lubricate the vagina become blocked and infected. This can cause cysts or pus-filled abscesses to develop.
• Salpingitis a blockage of the fallopian tubes that prevents the egg from passing through or entering the fallopian tubes. This increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
• Cervicitis a condition where the cervix becomes enlarged and develops cysts . Chronic cervicitis can lead to back pain, pelvic pain and persistent vaginal discharge. During childbirth, chlamydia can also be passed from the mother to the baby, who is then at risk of developing eye infections or pneumonia.

• Infections of the urethra, which can lead to serious damage to the kidneys
• An inflamed rectum
• Inflamed testicles
• inflammation and swelling of the tube used to transport and store sperm, which can lead to an abscess and cause infertility
• reactive arthritis .

What Can Be Done To Prevent The Spread Of Chlamydia

• Limit your number of sex partners
• Use a male or female condom
• If you think you are infected or have been exposed, avoid any sexual contact and visit a local sexually transmitted disease clinic, a hospital or your doctor. Either bring your sex partners with you when you are treated or notify them immediately so they can obtain examination and treatment.

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.

Recommended Reading: I Forgot To Take My Antibiotic

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.

Donât Miss: Where To Get Tested For Chlamydia For Free

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.

You May Like: Types Of Antibiotics For Bv

How Can I Prevent Getting Chlamydia

Anyone who is sexually active can catch chlamydia. You’re most at risk if you have a new sexual partner or don’t use a barrier method of contraception, such as a condom, when having sex. You can help to prevent the spread of chlamydia by:

• using a condom every time you have vaginal or anal sex
• using a condom to cover the penis during oral sex
• using a dam to cover the female genitals during oral sex or when rubbing female genitals together
• not sharing sex toys. If you do share sex toys, wash them or cover them with a new condom between each person who uses them.

How Is Chlamydia Spread

You can get chlamydia by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has chlamydia.

If your sex partner is male you can still get chlamydia even if he does not ejaculate .

If youve had chlamydia and were treated in the past, you can still get infected again. This can happen if you have unprotected sex with someone who has chlamydia.

• References

In women, chlamydial infection of the lower genital tract occurs in the endocervix. It can cause an odorless, mucoid vaginal discharge, typically with no external pruritus, although many women have minimal or no symptoms.2 An ascending infection can result in pelvic inflammatory disease .

Physical findings of urogenital chlamydial infection in women include cervicitis with a yellow or cloudy mucoid discharge from the os. The cervix tends to bleed easily when rubbed with a polyester swab or scraped with a spatula. Chlamydial infection cannot be distinguished from other urogenital infections by symptoms alone. Clinical microscopy and the amine test can be used to help differentiate chlamydial infection from other lower genital tract infections such as urinary tract infection, bacterial vaginosis, and trichomoniasis.3 In addition, chlamydial infection in the lower genital tract does not cause vaginitis thus, if vaginal findings are present, they usually indicate a different diagnosis or a coinfection.

Recommended Reading: How Do I Get Antibiotics Without Insurance

Who Can And Cannot Take Azithromycin

Azithromycin can be taken by adults and children.

It isnt suitable for some people. To make sure azithromycin is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

• had an allergic reaction to azithromycin or any other medicines in the past
• liver or kidney problems
• heart problems, including irregular heartbeats
• had diarrhoea when you have taken antibiotics before
• myasthenia gravis azithromycin can worsen the symptoms of this muscle-weakening illness
• diabetes azithromycin liquid contains sugar

Follow Treatment Advice Make Sure Chlamydia Is Properly Treated

However, the sexual partner may opt to be tested for chlamydia and wait for their results. If they do this, there should be no sexual activity while waiting to be tested, until their results are available, and then for the time period to complete treatment, if they test positive.

In many ways, including the fact no tests are 100% accurate, it is preferable for both of you to be treated, and the easiest option, is to take your antibiotics both at the same time. This is called epidemiological treatment, and is good medical practice.

If all the tablets were taken correctly and there has been no sex on treatment, there is no need to repeat the chlamydia test .

However a test of cure should be performed if:

• there is chlamydia in the rectum,
• it chlamydia is treated in pregnancy,
• it chlamydia is treated with erythromycin,
• if you have symptoms when diagnosed with chlamydia, and these symptoms have not resolved, or
• if any of the rules about taking treatment were not followed.

Don’t Miss: Antibiotics For Mrsa Sinus Infection

Best Over The Counter Antibiotics For Chlamydia

In order to get best over the counter antibiotics for chlamydia, you should onsult your doctor, your doctor will not turn his back on you, often time you might not get rid of Chlamydia by going to counter medication. Sometime you may have false positive chlamydia test result, so it is better to consult doctor. Moreover if you fail to treat this disease you might end up with PID which is Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and then you will also consult your doctor and by that time things will be worse. So the best thing is to go to a doctor if you notice the symptoms. But if you must use, then go for Amoxicillin, azithromycin, erythromycin, Doxycycline, levofloxacin, and ofloxacin. But always consult your doctor before taken the pills.

Prevalence Of C Trachomatis And Association With Antibiotic Use

The overall prevalence of C. trachomatis was 10.8% , and recent antibiotic use was reported by 10.8% of patients who received C. trachomatis diagnoses. The association between antibiotic use and C. trachomatis differed between women, heterosexual men, and MSM . In univariate analyses, any recent antibiotic use was associated with a lower C. trachomatis prevalence in heterosexual men and in MSM but not in women . When adjusting for age and HIV status, the risk estimate for heterosexual men attenuated somewhat and became non-statistically significant however, the risk remained for MSM . After stratifying analyses of MSM by anatomic site, it appeared that the inverse association between antibiotic use and C. trachomatis was observed only for anorectal C. trachomatis in MSM and not for genital C. trachomatis in MSM or oral C. trachomatis in MSM .

You May Like: Which Antibiotic For Dog Uti

Variables And Statistical Analyses

We assessed the prevalence of systemic antibiotic use and its association with C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae diagnoses. To reduce confounding by indication , we removed certain consultations from the data: those that occurred within 45 days after a previous STI clinic consultation or consultations in which a client reported a C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae diagnosis in the past month . This resulted in 14,775 consultations in our analyses. Of all the people who answered yes for antibiotic use , 132 reported using medication other than systemic antibacterial treatment , and an additional 61 reported no systemic antibiotic agent but an indication that was not likely for systemic antibiotic use . In our analyses, we considered the patients in these 193 consultations not to have used systemic antibiotics.

Of the 1,801 remaining consultations in which antibiotic use was reported, named agents were given in 541 and no agents were named in the remaining 1,260. We constructed several variables on antibiotic use by agent based on the reported antibiotic agent that was recommended for use against C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae: doxycycline, azithromycin, ofloxacin, erythromycin, amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin. Other variables were constructed on the combined classes of reported agents: tetracyclines, macrolides, fluoroquinolones and quinolones, penicillins, cephalosporins, nitrofurantoin/fosfomycin/trimethoprim, and other .

Antibiotic Use Before Sti Testing

During 14,775 STI clinic testing consultations, 12.2% of clinic patients reported recent antibiotic use. Women had higher rates of antibiotic use than heterosexual men or MSM, and antibiotic use increased with age . Antibiotic use was also higher for those who were HIV positive . Antibiotics were used for various reasons , yet in the majority of cases , data about antibiotic usage were absent.

Proportion of antibiotic use in the past month by patients who visited an STI clinic for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae screening, divided by sexual orientation and age, for a total of 14,775 STI clinic consultations.

The specific agent was named in 541 of the consultations where patients reported antibiotic use. The reported frequencies of use are displayed in and the shares of use in . Of the named agents, 26.2% consisted of any of the following: doxycycline, azithromycin, ofloxacin, or erythromycin. Another 6.3% consisted of ceftriaxone or ciprofloxacin. In 46 consultations, patients reported using a combination of two different agents. The antibiotics used varied by gender and sexual orientation . Penicillins were most frequently reported, followed by nitrofurantoin/trimethoprim/fosfomycin in women and tetracyclines and macrolides in both men and women .

Read Also: How To Treat Bacterial Infection Without Antibiotics

How Is It Contracted

Chlamydia is transmitted primarily through sexual activity. The following are the most common ways:

• unprotected intercourse with an infected partner
• oral sex, although a less common cause of infection as bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis targets the genital area rather than the throat. Although it is possible theoretically, the cases of infestation from mouth-to-penis and penis-to-mouth contact are rare
• vagina, cervix, anus, penis or mouth contacting infected secretions or fluids which means that contraction can occur even if the penis or tongue does not enter the vagina or anus
• bacteria can travel from the vaginal area to the anus or rectum of women while wiping with toilet paper
• sharing sex toys
• from mother to the newborn during vaginal childbirth through the infected birth channel
• infection can be transferred on fingers from the genitals to other parts of the body

Chlamydia is not contracted through simple kissing, handshaking, any casual contacts, sharing baths, towels and cups as well as from toilet seats.

Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, is one of four bacterial species in the genus Chlamydia. 3D illustration

Also Check: Does Garlic Get Rid Of Chlamydia

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.

Also Check: Can I Buy Antibiotics At The Store

Chlamydial Infection Among Adolescents And Adults

Chlamydial infection is the most frequently reported bacterial infectious disease in the United States, and prevalence is highest among persons aged 24 years . Multiple sequelae can result from C. trachomatis infection among women, the most serious of which include PID, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. Certain women who receive a diagnosis of uncomplicated cervical infection already have subclinical upper genital tract infection.

Asymptomatic infection is common among both men and women. To detect chlamydial infection, health care providers frequently rely on screening tests. Annual screening of all sexually active women aged < 25 years is recommended, as is screening of older women at increased risk for infection . In a community-based cohort of female college students, incident chlamydial infection was also associated with BV and high-risk HPV infection . Although chlamydia incidence might be higher among certain women aged 25 years in certain communities, overall, the largest proportion of infection is among women aged < 25 years .

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:

Don’t Miss: Is Strep Throat Contagious After Starting Antibiotics

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.

Does Chlamydia Cause Cervical Cancer

No, chlamydia doesnt cause cervical cancer.

Its possible to get a sexually transmitted infection by having sex with someone who has an STI, even if they have no symptoms.

The following measures will help protect you from most STIs including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV.

If you have an STI, theyll also help prevent you from passing it on to someone:

• Use condoms every time you have vaginal or anal sex.
• If you have oral sex , use a condom to cover the penis, or a dam to cover the vulva or anus.
• Avoid sharing sex toys. If you do share them, wash them or cover them with a new condom before anyone else uses them.

You May Like: Antibiotic Ointment For Diaper Rash

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