STD Treatment

[bleek8]

Hello Doctor,

I have two questions.
First, a couple of days ago I was diagnosed with NGU after the doctor took a bacterial sample.  As treatment he gave me 4 pills of something that started with an A and ciproflaxcian at 500mg twice a day for one week.  After three days the symptoms have died down some but are not completely gone.  I still see pus in my urine and have a slight burn.  After reading up on Cipro, I have learned it's ineffective against NGU.  Thus, why am I on this instead of Doxy, which has shown more affect in killing the bacteria.  I just don't want this infection to lead to something more serious like prostatits or chronic NGU.  Will this Cipro do the job?

My last question.  At the time of the first symptoms of NGU, I also got a horrible sore throat.  I went through the whole
chills and fever and body aches.  I thought it was the flu but my sore throat remained.  The doctor told me it was probably strep throat and prescribed me penecillin.  My throat got better.  Only 12 days off of the antibiotics, and I decided to get tested for a STD as the symptoms of painful urination and an itch in my penis worsened and became much more bothersome.  Now I'm wondering, could this strep throat really have been gonorrhea or another STD.  If that was the case, would the antibiotics in my system hide the fact that I have gonorrhea or chlamydia when I got my tests a couple of days ago?

I should add, I had been seeing this girl for about a month.  We only had intercourse a couple of times and it was unprotected some of the time.  The first time we had sex was six weeks to the date I got sick and my first symptoms of an std appeared.  However we had intercourse two more times, a total of three times altogether, before I began to feel the symptoms.

Thank you for your answers.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No, the ciprofloxacin was proably given in case you had gonorrhea (some people use if for this).  As you point out, ciprofloxacin is not recommended for NGU.

The antibiotics you took should be out of your system 10 dyas after taking the azithromycin.  The cipro will be out at that time as well.

[bleek8]

Thank you for your answers doctor, they are much appreciated.

One follow up question:  Is the Cipro that was prescribed to me as effective at doxy in treating NGU?  I have read that it is not effective in treating NGU.  

Are there any benefits to Cipro over Doxy?

Also, when would the antibiotics clear my system if I wanted to get another STD test without having any interference from the medication.

thanks so much doctor.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  I suspect that the medication you received was azithromycin which is a recommended therapy for NGU (as is doxycycline).  More and more health care providers use azithromycin because if is easier to take (you just take it once instead of for a week). Studies show that this therapy is just as effective as doxy for NGU.

As I read your story, I find myself wondering if your NGU was actually an STD.  Sometimes when people get viral sore throats, the virus causes other symptoms including those of NGU. This would explain both your slow response and where the NGU came from.  Alternatively, it is not too unusual for NGU to take up to a week for symptoms to completely resolve.  Thus unless your symptoms are actually getting worse, I would not worry.  If it was due to a virus it will be self limited and if it was an to STD you are treated.

HOWEVER, as you point out, if this was an STD introduced into your relationship (remember, either of you could have brought an infection into the relationship), you need to have your partner checked at a minimum and most experts would suggest that she, like you also be treated with azithromycin to make sure there is not an infection being passed back and forth between the two of you.  As you point out, this is important for her health and thus the right thing to do.

Hope these comments are helpful to you.

EWH