Chlamydia - can treatment be unsuccessful?

I've been with my boyfriend for 3 and a half years now and I was tested for STDs just before I met him (came back negative).  After about 2 years in our relationship, he started having some pains in his groin area and his doctor suggsted he get tested for STDs.  He took an over the counter chlamydia test which came back positive so had the treatment.  I also took a test at the same time and also (unsuprisingly) came back positive and took treatment.  

I also suggested that he have a full check as I wanted to make sure he was clear of all STDs so a couple of weeks later he went to the clinic.  The doctor there told him that he was showing positive for Chlamydia but after being told that he'd just finished treatment for it explained that it was just the dead cells and that it was a false positive.

A few months later, he got the pains again and went back to the clinic who said that he was still infected.  Apparently the doctor told him that sometimes the treatment isn't 100% successful and it could have just been "dormant"??  I took another test and mine came back negative.

Now he's getting the pains again, and rather than go back to the doctors he's just bought (off the internet) some medication.  Now am I right to be a bit suspicious?  I don't kow for sure that he's definitely got it this time but he seems worried enough to go about buying medication from the internet.  And is it true that sometimes the treatment can be unsuccessful?

I'm going to get checked again anyway just to be sure but I don't know what to do about the situation.  I don't know whether to believe what he says and risk getting infected again.  I've questioned him about it and he seems as confused as I am however that could just be his mechanism for hiding the truth that he's been unfaithful.  However at the same time I'm also worried that maybe we didn't leave it long enough before we had sexual intercourse again and maybe we've been passing back and forth to each other without realising it?  I'm sure we waited to full 7 days, or maybe we had protected sex during the period we were being treated, we would have been safe anyhow so how could he have gotten re-infected?  And I came back negative the second time, so surely if I'd given it back to him I would have come back positive then as well?

[Bluelagoon]

Oh, I don't know if it's also worth mentioning that I suffer quite a lot from tonisilitus and therefore have been on several courses of penicillin, all during this time.  Could this have caused a negative result the second time?  Maybe I passed it back to him, then got treated (without realising it)?

[auntiejessi]

Its possible your antibiotic use during the testing time has either cured the chlamydia, or masked the bacteria during testing.

I have to say that I'd wonder if he is still sleeping with someone else who hasn't been treated, though that would be totally foolish and seems to go against common sense.  

As for the medication failing, well, that can happen but is terribly unlikely.

So to recap - there are a lot of possibilities, some not so likelies, and you might just have to go with your gut.

Aj

[Trialanderror]

I just read STD statistics from the Medical Institute of Sexual Health, Austin, Texas - and it pointed out that for Chlamydia about 14% of teenagers do not respond to treatment or have a recurrence after 3 weeks. Don`t ask me why and no clue why that would only be in teenagers - but I found it interesting since there are so many questions on all forums regarding this type infection and trustworthiness of a partner. Wish I had more precise information for you.

[Bluelagoon]

Both of you, thank you so much for your advice.  I have confronted him on the issue and he really does seem to be confused.  There's not much for me to do except to make sure both of us are tested again, and that we are both clear before having unprotected sex.  I'll be making sure I have a six monthly check up from now on as well, just in case.  

[MissbeeHavin]

Ok!! I am sooo glad you have recently wrote this. My boyfriend caught chlamydia 4 years ago.. he never really told me [until now] that he would still have symptons like discharge and once in awhile a little pain while peeing. Ok last week he told me he was having this, so he went to the clinic. They did a urinalisyst (sp?) and stuck a cotton swap in him. They told him they could not find anything. I mean obviously something isn't right if a male is having discharge and pain. So yesterday they clinic calls him and tells him that he has chlamydia. We had just had unprotected sex [like usual] about an hour and half before the call. The same night he came from the clinic we had unprotected sex. So he is really confused on to why after four years it showing positive again. In May @ the docs, the nurse said there was STDs found in me. We both went to the clinic last night. I wasn't going to wait. They said for females it takes about 3 days for the results. The doctor went and prescribed me with azithromycin anyway. So [I'm sure I did have it] but I'm just glad I took the meds and know that it IS possible to come back. Kind of scary... I know it can cause reproductive problems. But thanks for the post. It really does help me feel better. I know, I had the suspcious thought in my mind. I still asked him about it yesterday anyway.

[Dallasfan]

I looked at the web site mentioned above and it gives good basic information. What everyone must understand during treatment is to take the antibiotics as prescribed and abstain from sex for 7 days and BOTH or ALL sexual partners must be treated. Chlamydia is VERY sensitive to the macrolide antibiotics and to doxycycline. Treatment failures are often reported but most of the time the person is noncompliant with treatment recommendations. Remember that Chlamydia can be contracted multiple times dispite treatment. So treatment failures are primarily reinfections. Take care.

[MissbeeHavin]

The med my boyfriend is on is doxycycline for 10 days and they gave him a shot in the butt. What does this mean? Just curious to know.. why two meds?

[auntiejessi]

Well, the doxy is for chlamydia, and the shot is probably ceftriaxone, which is for gonorrhea.  Some places will treat for both automatically, though if his result was only for chlamydia, it might be overkill.

Aj