Non Specific Urethritis

    
      Re: Non Specific Urethritis
    


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Posted by HFHS M.D.-MS on February 20, 1998 at 17:42:49:

In Reply to: Non Specific Urethritis posted by Hunter on February 15, 1998 at 09:52:19:

: I am a 30 years old Engineer working in Nigeria . I was diagnosed about one year ago with Non Specific Urethritis .
  The doctor  prescribed an antibiotic to treat the disease . ( yellow pills , I think proxycyclin , name of the medicine is not written on the pills and the pills were given to me in a plastic container . I got the proxycyclin name from the nurse )  .
  The mild clear discharge from the penis  in the morning disappeared and so did the mild pain when urinating . However , after 1 - 2 weeks from stopping the treatment , I had the same problem again ( NSU )  which was confirmed again by the doctor through medical Lab test and culture .
  I visited my doctor for more than 6 times during the past year and the same problem occured i.e. ( symptoms disappear and then appear after stopping the antibiotic ) .
  Recently I felt a slight pain in my testicles and I think this is related to the NSU .
  Please HELP me in treating this once and for all . I don't think I can have a proper medical treatment here and I will need about 6 months before I  can actually travel outside Nigeria .
  Is there any other stronger antibiotic that might cure the NSU ? Is the testicle pain related to the NSU ? I was told that Doxycyclin is more effective on the NSU but I don't know what dosage I should have and for what period ?
  I also heard that NSU can cause infertility . is that true and how long can someone diagnosed with NSU be lfet untreated before it will cause infertility .
  I am really in great confusion and frustration and I hope to hear your reply to this problem soon .
  
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Dear Hunter
Thanks for your question.
I am not familiar with the drug Proxycyclin and it is not in the Physician Desk Reference.  It is probably in the family of tetracycline which is used to treat Chlamydia and  urethral infections.  As you know, Chlamydia is considered a sexually transmitted disease and is very difficult to culture.  It grows inside live cells.   Gonorrhea is also a pathogen and causes a very thick urethral discharge but is not covered by tetracycline and is currently about 35%  resistant to Penicillin in the US.  It has been quoted that approximately  60% of patients with cultured gonorrhea also has Chlamydia.                
As you may know, urethritis in the US is divided into Gonococcal and Non Gonococcal Urethritis NGU.  I presume the