Important Things to Know About Gonorrhea Treatment
Gonorrhea is one of the commonest STDs around. The good thing is that it is completely curable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a single dose of ceftriaxone, 500 mg administered through intramuscular injection. Another antibiotic that doctors commonly use is Azithromycin. This is administered orally.
This course of antibiotic is meant to stop the growth of gonorrhea bacteria. However, it will not repair the damage done to the body parts by the infection. That’s why it is vital to undergo a test and treatment as soon as possible to prevent the bacteria spreading to other parts of the body.
Gonorrhea treatment is available at your nearest urgent care clinic. The clinic offers testing and treatment on the same day. No appointment is required. You can simply walk in and ask for a test or consult a doctor.
Antibiotic resistance
Lately, gonorrhea bacteria have been showing resistance to the usual antibiotics that doctors use for treating this disease. This is of growing concern to the medical community. At times, it becomes necessary to increase the dose of antibiotics due to the resistance.
“Test of cure”
Doctors recommend “test of cure” to patients who have completed the course of antibiotics. This is a follow-up test to check whether you are completely cured.
This test becomes inevitable, if the patient’s symptoms continue even after receiving treatment. In this case, you must immediately consult a doctor for a re-evaluation.
Many people get a sore throat when infected by gonorrhea. So, as part of gonorrhea treatment, they also need to treat their sore throat. For such patients, doctors recommend undergoing a “test of cure” a week or two after the treatment is complete.
Re-test
Doctors also recommend to undergo a re-test after three months of completing the treatment to make sure you are healthy. This is because re-infection is common. People who show negative test results during follow-up tests may also get infected later. So, to be on the safe side, it is good to visit the clinic and undergo a re-test after three months.
Gonorrhea and chlamydia
Both gonorrhea and chlamydia are the commonest STDs. Many doctors suggest testing for both these bacterial diseases simultaneously. Chlamydia treatment also involves the use of antibiotics. Both diseases are completely curable when treated on time.
USPSTF recommendations
As per the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations, all sexually active women below 25 years of age must undergo gonorrhea screening. This infection is common in women of this age group.
Extragenital gonorrhea infection and chlamydia infection are found to be the highest in:
• Men who have sex with men
• People with multiple sex partners
• People who offer sexual favors in exchange of money, gifts, and others
• People who have sex under the influence of drugs and alcohol
• Those who are careless in using condoms
Doctors regard such people as those with high-risk sexual behaviors. They must undergo tests regularly.
The Task Force recommends pregnant women and those who plan to become pregnant to screen for gonorrhea to safeguard their future baby’s health.
Gonorrhea treatment is simple and easy when administered on time. If not, the disease can turn into a health catastrophe.
