Green Pages Where There Is No Doctor 2011 359
MEDICINES FOR GONORRHEA
AND CHLAMYDIA
These diseases have the same early signs,
and often occur together (see p. 236). Since it
may be difficult or expensive to get a laboratory
test for chlamydia, it is best to treat both infections
at the same time. You may also want to treat for
trichomonas (see p. 369).
For gonorrhea, use one of the following:
ceftriaxone, one injection of 125 mg.
one time only
OR
cefixime, 400 mg. by mouth, one time only
OR
spectinomycin, one injection of 2 g., one
time only
Pregnant women, or women who are
breastfeeding should not take spectinomycin.
For chlamydia, use one of the following:
doxycycline (p. 355): 100 mg. by mouth,
2 times a day for 7 days
OR
azithromycin, 1 g. by mouth, one time only
OR
amoxicillin, 500 mg. by mouth, 3 times a day
for 7 days
OR
erythromycin (p. 354): 500 mg. by mouth,
4 times a day for 7 days. Always take
erythromycin with food.
OR
tetracycline (p. 355): 500 mg. by mouth,
4 times a day for 7 days
Do not take doxycycline or tetracycline if you
are pregnant or breastfeeding. Women who are
pregnant or breastfeeding can use azithromycin,
erythromycin, or amoxicillin.
MEDICINES FOR TUBERCULOSIS
In treating tuberculosis (TB), it is very important
to always use 4 anti-tuberculosis medicines at
the same time. If only 1 medicine is used, the
TB bacteria become resistant to it and make the
disease harder to treat.
Tuberculosis must be treated for a long time,
usually 6 months or longer. The length of treatment
depends on what combination of medicines is
used. The full, long-term treatment for TB is
extremely important to keep tuberculosis from
coming back again, infecting other people, and
developing drug resistance.
Drug resistance means that the best and
least expensive TB drugs no longer work against
the disease. MDR (Multi-Drug Resistant) TB is
expensive to treat, and XDR (eXtremely Drug
Resistant) TB is almost impossible to cure.
Medicines for tuberculosis are available through
government programs that test for TB and give
medicine free or at low cost.
Experienced local advice is important, because
treatments change, bacteria become resistant, and
new medicines may become available. Also, some
programs give medicines only 3 times a week, in
higher doses.
Isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin should
always be used together in the treatment of TB.
Ethambutol and streptomycin are also often used
to treat TB. Taking pyrazinamide with INH and
rifampicin can shorten the time of treatment.
If medicines cause itching, yellow skin and eyes
(jaundice), or stomach pains, see a health worker
about changing the dosage or medicines. If blisters
occur, stop taking medicines until you see a health
worker. Avoid alcohol when taking TB medicines,
especially isoniazid.
Isoniazid can also be used to prevent TB from
developing in family members of people sick with
TB, or people with HIV. Because it is common for
people to have both HIV and TB, it is a good idea
for everyone with one disease to be tested for the
other.