Taking Levaquin take care of Chlamydia

[Educate Me]

Dr,
Searched and could not find an appropriate answer. I am the true worry wart and even though based upon your posts my worries should be little, I can't stop worrying.

Event: One time session with with massage parlor lady with some fellatio leading to intercourse to completion. Was too drunk to know if she put a condom on me. Could go back and ask but don't know if I would believe her or not regardless of answer or if I could even recognize her due to my drunken stupor. I hate myself for being a fool and allowing myself to lose all common sense and control.

Situation: I am allergic to PCN and was prescribed Levaquin 500mg 10 tabs for future outbreaks about 9 months ago by a urologist due to recuring epididymitis. I remembered that I had them and searched to find that this is sometimes prescribed for Chlamydia & Gonorrhea.

Question: Started taking the pills the day after contact and have two days left which I will finish. If I did catch those two infections, what are the chances that this medication has taken care of them? If by chance I did catch one or both, did they need time to "grow" for the Levaquin to "see" them and I started the Levaquin too fast? I see that these infections are starting to develop resistance to some meds at about a 4% rate so I guess that is a slight consideration.

Future plans: I will be doing testing at 8 weeks through a Quest center for the full STD panel that they offer to know for sure I am free and any affliction. Yes, I am a worry wort and this mistake is going to cost me close to $1k when all is said and done or more if I caught HIV.

Your knowledge would greatly appreciated! Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Levofloxacin (Levaquin) is active against both gonorrhea and chlamydia.  People never get chlamydia of the urethra by oral sex, and gonorrhea is rare by that mechanism--but if you were infected, that treatment was more than enough to cure it.

Do not get further STD testing.  The risk of HIV is too low to worry about it; and if exposed to gonorrhea or chlamydia, the treatment has cleared it up and the tests will be negative; and syphilis and herpes, like HIV, are too unlikely to worry about.

Correction to probneurotic's comment:  Most but not all the fluoroquinolone antibiotics s are reliable against chlamydia.  Ciprofloxacin is not.

Good luck--  HHH, MD

[probneurotic]

Levaquin and the flouroquinolones in general give excellent gram negative (gonorrhea) and intracellular (NGU) coverage.  If you were taking an extended dose of Levaquin for Urethritis, barring some kind of resistance (pretty unlikely), you are pretty safe.  If not, the standard regimen is IM Ceftriaxone (not for you due to Pcn allergy) and azithromycin.

[Educate Me]

Dr,
Just to make sure...I wasn't really concerned about the oral but I was greatly concerned about the intercourse. Your response came across to me that you thought I only received oral. If you understood all that I was saying, sorry...I just wanted to make sure that your advice still stood. Thanks again.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Sorry, I misread your question, missed the vaginal sex part.  Both gonorrhea and chlamydia are certainly possible.  But yes, the rest of my reply still stands, regarding levofloxacin treatment and that you don't need further testing.

HHH, MD

[hboy]

Doc, while we're on the subject about antibiotics, if you happen to take zithromax or cipro several times within a six month to year time frame, can your body become resistent to the medication to the point that if you do become infected with an STD (chlamydia or gohnorria), that the medications won't work for you?

[incredible pain]

First, Sorry for posting it here but it sort of apply's
what one of those would you take if you had MASSIVE burning when you urinate. Also last night after sex I removed the condom to find only blood, sort of clotted in apearance. I live in Costa Rica and get around alot! But I had the condom break about 1 month ago, one week latter the burn started and last night the blood. The woman was complaining of stomach "Abdomin (abdomen)" pains also!
I apologise again, and I searched your archives and no results. also I no longer have a credit card. but if you come to costa rica I can show you around!

[Alias Lola]

Blood in the condom sounds like you need to see a doctor.

[monkeyflower]

hboy: Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the issue isn't so much that your body will develop a resistance to antibiotics, as the *bacteria* will develop a resistance. So it really doesn't matter how many antibiotics you take - it's the strain of bacteria that matters. That's why you always want to be sure to take the full course of antibiotics for anything (not just until you feel better), and avoid taking any unneccessary antibiotics, because any bacteria that aren't killed by the antibiotic then multiply. Survival of the fittest :-)

incredible pain: Blood in semen is called hematospermia and as far as I know, if you're young it usually isn't a problem. However, especially since you're having so much pain and so many difficulties otherwise, I *really* think you need to see a doctor. Trying to treat this yourself is an astonishingly bad idea. For one thing, not only don't you have any idea what the underlying problem is, but if you DO have a STD, you could be spreading it to other partners. You owe it to yourself and your partners to get tested and treated.