Types Of Treatments For Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases, commonly known as STDs, are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. Just like other serious medical conditions, STDs must be treated to prevent further medical problems from developing. Once a person has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease, it is very important to receive treatment right away. The type of treatments available for STDs may vary depending on which disease the person has been diagnosed with. These are some of the types of treatments for STDs and the conditions they are used to treat.
Treatments For Bacterial STDs
Some STDs are caused by bacterial infections. These include chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea. These sexually transmitted diseases can be cured when treated with proper antibiotics. Depending on which of these STDs a patient has, they may be given a one-time dose of a particular antibiotic or a prescription to take antibiotics orally every day for a specific length of time, or they may receive an injection or series of injections. For some severe, more advanced cases of these STDs, it may also be necessary to be admitted to a hospital and be given antibiotics through an IV directly into the bloodstream for several days. Some of the most common antibiotics used include Penicillin G, Azithromycin, Rocephin, Vibramycin, or Tetracycline. The type of antibiotic used for treatment depends on which infection the person has and if they are allergic to a certain type of antibiotic.
Treatments For Viral STDs
Other sexually transmitted diseases are caused by viruses. Among these are human papillomavirus (HPV), HIV, herpes, and hepatitis C. Most of these infections cannot be cured but can be treated so they are more easily managed. This is often done by taking oral medications regularly known as antivirals or antiretrovirals. If one has been diagnosed with HPV but has no symptoms, it may not be necessary to treat the condition. Recently, hepatitis C has been able to be cured through treatment with newly developed medications. Some of the medications used for treating viral STDs include Zovirax, Valtrex, Interferon, Condylox, and Fuzeon. Epclusa and Zepatier are two of the medications that have been used to treat certain strains of hepatitis C.
Certain symptoms of STDs are sometimes treated with surgery or other medical procedures. This includes having HPV genital warts removed surgically, or by burning, freezing, or having them lasered from the skin. For those who have severe cases of hepatitis that have damaged the liver, it may be necessary to have liver transplant surgery.
Contact a medical professional to learn more about STD treatment.