Some Treatment for Gonorrhea options mentioned in the CDC Report are:
- Cefixime 400 mg orally in a single dose
- Ceftriaxone 125 mg IM in a single dose
- Ciprofloxacin 500 mg orally in a single dose
- Ofloxacin 400 mg orally in a single dose, PLUS Azithromycin 1 g orally in a single dose
- Doxycycline 100 mg orally twice a day for 7 days
The doctor may prescribe a single-dose injection of an antibiotic such as ceftriaxone (Rocephin) or a single-dose pill such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro).
If you are pregnant or younger than 18, the doctor will usually prescribe the shot instead of the pill.
Drug-Resistant Strains
Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing in many parts of the world, including the United States, and successful treatment of gonorrhea is becoming more difficult. Previously, a class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones (examples are ciprofloxacin (Cipro, Cipro XR), ofloxacin (Floxin), and levofloxacin (Levaquin) was widely used to treat gonorrhea. Beause of increasing resistance of many tested samples of n. gonorrheae to the fluoroquinolone drugs, the CDC now recommends that only one class of antibiotics, the cephalosphorins, be used to treat gonorrheal infections.
Re-Infection
People who have had gonorrhea and have been treated can get the disease again if they have sexual contact with persons infected with gonorrhea. If a person's gonorrhea symptoms continue even after receiving treatment, he or she should return to a doctor to be reevaluated.
Other Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
Persons with gonorrhea symptoms should also be treated for other sexually-transmitted diseases or infections. Many people with gonorrhea also have chlamydia, another STD, antibiotics for both infections are usually given together.
Permanent Damage
As noted, elsewhere, although medication will stop the infection, it will not repair whatever permanent damage done by the disease. For instance, if the complications to untreated gonorrhea symptoms rendered a person infertile or prone to ectopic pregnancy, the antibiotic medications can no longer reverse the damage.
Serious and permanent complications are avoided, if gonorrhea symptoms are detected early and treated immediately. If you experienced any of the gonorrhea symptoms described in the Home page of this site and suspect an infection, don't waste time. Call your doctor immediately.