If you suspect that you have chlamydia it is very important to get treated and tested. This process is simple and inexpensive – but if you’re not sure where to start, it can be confusing.
Thankfully we are here to help. Here is everything you need to know about treating chlamydia.
Treating chlamydia
Chlamydia is treated using a standard course of antibiotics that will be prescribed to anyone with a positive test. However, it is important to note that your doctor will not prescribe you medication without a positive test. This is because antibiotics can have a serious, long-term effect on your body, especially if you take them when you are not actually ill.
You can get a positive test by going to your doctors to get treated, or you can order an at-home testing kit. For instance you can order chlamydia testing kits Bexley area from bexleysexualhealth.org/home_sti_kits. This is ideal for people who don’t like the idea of talking about STIs with their doctor.
There are two main antibiotics that are used to treat chlamydia: Azithromycin and Doxycycline. Azithromycin only requires two or four tablets to be taken in one sitting, whilst Doxycycline must be taken twice a day, every day for a week.
Once you have received treatment
Once you start taking your chlamydia treatment you should avoid all sexual activity – and this should continue until at least a week after the treatment has finished. This is because you will still be infectious whilst you are taking the treatment, so it is still possible for you to pass the STI on to someone else. It can also be useful to get retested a few weeks after treatment, as this will confirm that you are chlamydia free.
You should also make sure that you tell your sexual partners that you have tested positive for chlamydia so that they can get tested too.
Avoiding chlamydia in the future
Chlamydia is the most common STI in the UK, so you should try to avoid catching it again in the future.
You can do this by always using a condom when you sleep with a new partner, as this will reduce the chance of getting infected. You should also get tested whenever you sleep with a new person (and you should encourage your partner to get tested, too).
