The most common form of treatment for trichomoniasis and most STDs is through antibiotics. But are there differences between the trichomoniasis antibiotics available?
Should you use one type of antibiotic over the other? And are there any home remedies available for this condition? Read on to learn more.
Trichomoniasis Antibiotics
Antibiotics are drugs that are designed to fight off bacteria. However, some antibiotics are also effective in dealing with parasites, such as in the case of trichomoniasis.
Before the discovery of antibiotics, doctors treated STDs using chemicals, which sometimes included heavy metals. Most of the time, these treatments were not effective and also posed an additional health risk for patients. On the other hand, antibiotics are able to treat diseases easily and without significant side-effects.
Antibiotics are also strictly a prescription drug. The reason behind this is that using antibiotics frequently can cause antibiotic resistance.
As the name suggests, an antibiotic resistance means that the bacteria or microorganism responsible for infection develops a resistance to the drug used to treat it. This can be a serious problem because it can lead to infections that can be untreatable through regular means. This is also why doctors always tell their patients to not self-medicate, and to finish the prescribed treatment.
For treating trichomoniasis, doctors usually prescribe either metronidazole or tinidazole.
Metronidazole
Aside from treating trichomoniasis, metronidazole is also used to treat amoebiasis, , bacterial vaginosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. It usually comes in the form of a tablet, a gel, a cream, or a suppository.
In the case of trichomoniasis, patients will usually need to take 2 grams as a single dose. This means taking four tablets that are 500mg each or alternatively, may take 1 500mg tablet twice a day for 7 days.
Just like other antibiotics, patients should not drink alcohol while taking this medication. This is because it can cause side effects such as stomach pain, palpitation, and headaches.
Side effects of metronidazole are easily manageable but include nausea, diarrhea, or a metallic taste in the mouth.
Tinidazole
Tinidazole is an antibiotic that’s similar to metronidazole. In fact, tinidazole can be used to treat most infections that are treated using metronidazole.
The main difference between the two is that tinidazole has a longer half-life of 12-14 hours, in comparison with the 8-hour half-life of metronidazole. What this means is that patients taking tinidazole can takea shorter course of therapy.
Doctors usually prescribe tinidazole for trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis, but they also prescribe it for amoebiasis and giardiasis.
Just like metronidazole, patients with trichomoniasis need to take four tablets that are 500mg each. However, if the infection returns or treatment does not work, patients could be advised to take 2 tablets each day for 7 days.
With regard to side effects, they are similar to that of metronidazole but may be milder because it is curative at lower therapeutic doses . Additionally, alcohol should also be avoided if a person is taking tinidazole.
While just as effective as metronidazole, tinidazole is more expensive and not readily available in the Philippines. This is why doctors usually prescribe metronidazole and only prescribe tinidazole if necessary.
Are There Any Home Remedies?
There are no home remedies for trichomoniasis. The reason is that it is a parasitic infection, so any home remedy won’t be effective in treating the parasite.
The best thing to do if you have trichomoniasis is to consult your doctor and get a prescription for antibiotics. Never self medicate. Antibiotics can easily treat most STDs quickly and effectively. It’s not worth trying out various home remedies when antibiotic medication is readily available in most drug stores.
Key Takeaways
When taking antibiotics for STDs, it is very important to follow your doctor’s prescription. It would also be best to refrain from having any sexual intercourse as you’re taking the medication, because you can still infect other people.
After treatment, take an STD test in order to ensure that you are disease-free.
Learn more about Trichomoniasis here.
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