1. Take the Prescribed Antibiotic
Doctors and nurses have several choices when they prescribe an antibiotic for chlamydia infections. Some treat people with chlamydia with a single, 1-gram, oral dose of the antibiotic azithromycin, also known by its brand name, Zithromax. Another drug often used to treat chlamydia is doxycycline, which is given in a dosage of 100 mg, twice a day, for 7 days. Both of these drugs are 97% to 98% effective against the bacteria that cause chlamydia infections. Azithromycin is somewhat more expensive than doxycycline, though. If you think that you could have trouble remembering to take a medication twice a day for a week, ask your doctor if you can have the single dose of azithromycin.
Alternative antibiotics that some doctors use include erythromycin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin. None of these are considered better than azithromycin or doxycycline.
If you are pregnant, your doctor will probably treat you with azithromycin, because it is known to be safe for pregnant women. In addition, your doctor or nurse will probably ask to re-test you after the completion of therapy to make sure the infection is gone.
2. Make Sure Your Partner Knows You're Infected
If you have been diagnosed with chlamydia, your sex partner or partners are likely also infected. You need to tell them so that they can get tested and get effective antibiotic treatment. This also benefits you. If you are successfully treated but then have sex with an infected partner, you'll get reinfected. The cycle will start over again, and you'll need more tests and possibly, treatment. Both you and your partner(s) should refrain from intercourse and oral and anal sex until both of you have completed treatment.
If you are not sure that your partner(s) were tested and adequately treated, and you've continued to have sex, ask your doctor about re-testing for chlamydia within several months.
3. Finish the Medication
This is a basic whenever you are treating an infection: Finish the course of antibiotics that your doctor or nurse prescribed. If you don't finish, some of the bacteria may survive and re-start the infection.
