Zithromax question

Has anyone taken Zithromax 250 mg and had strange symptoms like having to urinate alot the first day and not getting their period?  Wouldn't this suggest an infection that the medicine is trying to treat but letting you know you didn't take the proper dosage to get rid of it?  This happened to me.  I am really worried about chlamydia and gonorrhea even though tests have come back negative.  I just don't know how reliable these tests really are.  I have heard you can have it even though the tests come back negative.  I have had extremely thick pale yellow discharge since 2 yrs ago and on and off again intermittent back pain and uncomfortable need to urinate frequently (not bladder infection) with profuse odor that mainly comes around the time of menstruation.  Recently, got sore throat with bumps on the back of my throat (boyfriend says he does too), tested for strep came back negative.  Took the zithromax 250 mg and had to pee every 5 min. the first day and didn't get my period.   I felt better while I was on the med .  After coming off med all symptoms came back with a vengeance!!  I am soooo confused considering all docs have said I don't have either of these things because all tests have come back negative.  Any help would be appreciated!!!  Has anyone else had the same symptoms when taking a low dose of Zithromax?  Am scared of large dosages of medications!!!!!  Terrified is more the word!!!!!  But, I am equally terrified that my docs are letting something very serious go unnoticed.  I have had joint pain, heart problems and felt very ill over the past year.

[auntiejessi]

These aren't normal side effects of zithromax, and you should follow up with your doctor.

Have you had an endocervical culture done?  That's where they take a culture of your vagina and send it to the lab and see what grows.  You need to wait until a couple of weeks after you finish the zithromax.  Why are you taking that?

[mercygracious]

I took the meds because of the sore throat with the bumps on the back which my b/f said he has as well and the fact that all tests have come back negative including bacterial cultures.  I knew I needed to try something and since I am scared of large doses of meds (well, meds of any dosage actually) I decided to try the 250 mg dose but I didn't take it the last day.  I felt so much better while i was on this medicine .  I missed my period and all my symptoms, back pain , frequent urination and profuse odor before, during and after period came back with a vengeance!!!!  I am just not convinced that I don't have one of these terrible infections because the guy I was with was sleeping with several different people I found out and those people were as well.  So, it can't be good.  Don't know what else to do.  Am worried sick!!!  Have been checked numerous times over the past 2 yrs and have driven myself crazy.  My discharge is extremely thick, so much so that it pretty much just stays up inside of me, very little on underwear if any at all.  Docs said looked like mucous.  I read about gonorrhea and they said it affects your mucuous membranes.  I am terrified!!!

[auntiejessi]

Well, all stds or genital infections affect your mucous membranes.  Were you tested while you were on the meds?

I'm not sure what is causing your fear of larger doses of meds, but I promise you that these meds - any meds - that your doctor prescribes have been tested for safety.  

You need to see your doctor.  A discharge with an odor like that sounds like bacterial vaginosis, and if you've missed a period, you might be pregnant.

Aj

[auntiejessi]

You asked about treatment for gonorrhea.  I would advise you to not take anything until you have been officially diagnosed, because I am not convinced that you have gonorrhea.  Your test came back negative.

I would follow up with your doctor and get checked again, but make sure you get tested for bacterial vaginosis.

Aj

[mercygracious]

BV was detected when this first occurred 2 yrs ago but there has never been a fishy smell like I know occurs with BV.  Besides it is the same odor that the uncircumsized man had on his genitalia.  I only smell the odor when it is time for my period.  Someone did recently say they detected a couple of the trichamoniasis upon microscopic examination (this is weird because for 2 yrs this went unnoticed) and prescribed flagyl.  I have a hard time taking flagyl .  It makes me feel sick and I have enough problems without that happening.  When I recently took the Zithromax 250mg for sore throat I started feeling better.  Like I said all of my symptoms went away but I didn't take the proper dosage to cure any std and I also didn't take it on the last day cause my head started bothering me.  This is why I feel it is either chlamydia or gonorreah because how I was feeling while I was on the Zithromax.  I am not pregnant .  Haven't had sex in months so that is not a possibility.  I feel that this bacterial infection is causing other more serious health complications for me and those symptoms subsided while on the Zithromax as well.  So.........the fact that my discharge is so excessive and extremely thick with the profuse odor with back pain and frequent urination and the bumps on the back of my throat lead me to believe this.....but most of all the way my body reacted to the med before, during and after.  What is best for gonorrhea (cipro or rocephin).  What mg of each of these is prescribed?  Thank YOU!!!

[auntiejessi]

You can have bv without a fishy odor, and if it smells like what the guy had, then maybe its a fungal infection.  Most stds don't cause odor.

You've convinced yourself that this is gonorrhea, but your test says it isn't.  You need to go back and get more testing done.  I wouldn't use cipro, and rocephin is a shot, so you'd need to see your doctor for it anyway.

Aj

[mercygracious]

Also, Aj have you ever heard of a nucleic acid amplification test?  I read this may be the best test to check for std.  Also, do you have any idea what tests an infectious disease doctor would perform to decide if an std was causing other health related problems?  ThankYou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mercygracious]

I know but you fail to remember that the Zithromax got rid of my symptoms while I was taking it!!!!!  To me that speaks VOLUMES!!!!  Don't you think Aj?  Thanks for all of your replies!!!

[auntiejessi]

Yes, that's one of the better ones.  Many std clinics are using it now.

I don't know what tests they would run - I would imagine that would depend on what the other health issues are.

Aj

[auntiejessi]

No it doesn't speak anything, as gonorrhea is pretty resistant to zithromax now.  What it says to me is that you have something bacterial going on, and the little zithromax you took slowed the growth of the bacteria enough to allow you to feel better.

[mercygracious]

OMG,  do you think there is another kind of std I could have that the Zithromax was working on?  I know chlamydia but is there anything other than that you are aware of or that I need to be tested for?  Does bloodwork always show up syphilis?  I have alot of movement and twitches in my vagina which lead me to believe this could be causing alot of my other symptoms.

[auntiejessi]

You have been tested for every std.  Have you tested for bv?  This could also be trich, since there was some showing.  

Flagyl is hard to take - I agree totally - but if you eat with it, it helps a lot.

Aj

[mercygracious]

i don't understand why you rely so much upon the standard std testing.  I hear all the time about false positive and false negative results.  What would make me think that the tests are 100% accurate??????????????  And on the trich I read that uncircumsized men get this real easily and along with it they usually get chlamydia and especially gonorrhea.....so that is why too .....cause I don't know if they knew it for sure or not but they did say they saw a few squiglys(trich) under microscope?How accurate is testing really and do men usually get chlymidia and gonorrhea with trich??

[auntiejessi]

No test for anything is 100% accurate, and the standard testing is the best we have.  Most of the tests we have are in the upper 90% range for accuracy, and that's great.

If you are concerned, test again.  2 tests are less likely to be wrong than 1 is.

Aj

[mercygracious]

Aj,

messy jessy had asked you a question earlier about chlamydia lying dormant for years and your reply to her was that wasn't the case because she would be very very ill by now.  What did you mean exactly by very very ill?

[auntiejessi]

Well, she would have had PID years ago - the longest I've ever seen anyone personally go without symptoms until they had PID was a year and a half.  I think the doctors in our expert forum have said 2 years.

Aj

[mercygracious]

Aj,

Is there anything else that causes PID or just mainly chlamydia and gonorrhea???  Thank you.

[mercygracious]

Aj,

I notice alot of people on here refer to you as doc but isn't it true that you are not a doctor at all.  What are your credetials?  I looked under your name and there was nothing indicating that you had any kind of medical experience.  

[auntiejessi]

I've already told you my credentials - I have worked in the std field for a long time, as an educator, disease investigator, doing HIV and Hep C testing, etc.  I hold several certifications from the CDC.

You can choose to not believe what I say.  To you, I am just another person on the internet, and I would hope that everyone gets medical info on the internet with a healthy dose of skepticism.  

I think a lot of people start out with "hey doc" thinking that they will get a doctor's response.  I never claim to be a doctor, and when I remember, I correct their assumptions.  It clearly states on the left side of this page that this is a member community, and to always check with your doctor before following any advice in this community.

If you note, I am also very careful to tell everyone to see a doctor or return to their doctors.  

[mercygracious]

thank you for clearing that up for me but you forgot to answer the question as to what else can cause PID.  :)

[mercygracious]

well, I just looked and saw that you are offline till the 9th.  What happened did u go on vacation or something?  Well, I don't guess you will be able to answer my question for a while..or do they have someone that fills in for you?  Wow, you really do need a vacation with all these posts going on.  Ugh!!!

[gracefromHHP]

We are all volunteers here on medhelp unless you are paying to post on the doctor's forum. We occassionally do have lives believe it or not and are not here 24/7/365 to answer posts.  Jess is not going to be stopping in on the boards for a few days but there are others here to answer posts.  Medhelp does not guarantee that every post will be answered.

If you are not satisfied with the advice you have been given so far then by all means, pay to post on the professionals forums however I can save you some money - they will only tell you that you've tested negative for std's and your symptoms do not really sound like a std and you'll need to continue to follow up with your provider. If you'd like to pay $15 to hear them say that - then by all means do so.  They won't give you any info much different from what Jess already has and you got that for free.  The advice from anyone on medhelp is not meant to replace the advice of your own personal doctor.  

Zithromax is not a good antibiotic for a lot of the  issues that we gals can have down yonder.  I totally 2nd Jess's response that you probably felt better while on it because it partially treated what is going on. At this point you need to continue follow up with your provider to find out what is going on. You need examined and tested for vaginitis. If they can't find anything going on and your symptoms continue, then you will need to return to them again - unfortunately sometimes they can't figure it all out in 1 appointment.  You need your discharge evaluated to see if it's an infectious discharge caused by yeast or a bacteria or if it's even something like an overgrowth of the protection lactobacillus bacteria that we all have in our vagina's. Also you notice an odor - it might be really a clue that something is going on or it could even be a normal odor. Our bodies are not without smells!  Your frequent urination also needs looked into too.  It really sounds though like it's time to move past chlamydia and gonorrhea as a cause though.

grace