Need Someone Who Knows Syphilis Treatment Posted: 04-18-04 13:56pm
It's almost a week since i've developed a
chancre at the right portion inside my
mouth. I was bothered so I searched in
the internet the cause & the treatment
until I came upon a site that suggests it
could be caused by an std (syphilis).
This starts to alarm me because I
remembered having a sexual reationship
with a girl who is older than me, 3 months
ago.
I haven't done any tests yet & haven't
talked it out with her. But I started
taking antibacterial medicine(amoxyxilin)
& the chancre becomes little by
little. I read thru the internet about
the treatment for syphilis. Most says
that it can be cured by a penicillin taken
by injection.
My questions are: are there any
alnernative treatment othr than penicilin
injection? How about those otc drugs like
amoxyxilin, can it treat the disease by
taking it 2x a day for a week(as I read in
another article)?
Could anyone please advise me regarding my
problem. I'm 20 yrs old & still
ashamed to see a doctor. Thank you so
much
|
2ferano
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Dec 2003 Posts: 3717
Posted: 04-19-04 14:42pm
Primary stage
the primary stage of syphilis is usually
marked by the appearance of a single sore
(called a chancre), but there may be
multiple sores. The time between
infection with syphilis and the start of
the first symptom can range from 10 to 90
days (average 21 days). The chancre is
usually firm, round, small, and painless.
It appears at the spot where syphilis
entered the body. The chancre lasts 3 to
6 weeks, and it heals without treatment.
However, if adequate treatment is not
administered, the infection progresses to
the secondary stage.
Secondary stage
skin rash and mucous membrane lesions
characterize the secondary stage. This
stage typically starts with the
development of a rash on one or more areas
of the body. The rash usually does not
cause itching. Rashes associated with
secondary syphilis can appear as the
chancre is healing or several weeks after
the chancre has healed. The
characteristic rash of secondary syphilis
may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown
spots both on the palms of the hands and
the bottoms of the feet. However, rashes
with a different appearance may occur on
other parts of the body, sometimes
resembling rashes caused by other
diseases. Sometimes rashes associated
with secondary syphilis are so faint that
they are not noticed. In addition to
rashes, symptoms of secondary syphilis may
include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore
throat, patchy hair loss, headaches,
weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue.
The signs and symptoms of secondary
syphilis will resolve with or without
treatment, but without treatment, the
infection will progress to the latent and
late stages of disease.
Late stage
the latent (hidden) stage of syphilis
begins when secondary symptoms disappear.
Without treatment, the infected person
will continue to have syphilis even though
there are no signs or symptoms; infection
remains in the body. In the late stages
of syphilis, it may subsequently damage
the internal organs, including the brain,
nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver,
bones, and joints. This internal damage
may show up many years later. Signs and
symptoms of the late stage of syphilis
include difficulty coordinating muscle
movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual
blindness, and dementia. This damage may
be serious enough to cause death.
What is the treatment for syphilis?
Syphilis is easy to cure in its early
stages. A single intramuscular injection
of penicillin, an antibiotic, will cure a
person who has had syphilis for less than
a year. Additional doses are needed to
treat someone who has had syphilis for
longer than a year. For people who are
allergic to penicillin, other antibiotics
are available to treat syphilis. There
are no home remedies or over-the-counter
drugs that will cure syphilis. Treatment
will kill the syphilis bacterium and
prevent further damage, but it will not
repair damage already done.
Because effective treatment is available,
it is important that persons be screened
for syphilis on an on-going basis if their
sexual behaviors put them at risk for
stds.
Persons who receive syphilis treatment
must abstain from sexual contact with new
partners until the syphilis sores are
completely healed. Persons with syphilis
must notify their sex partners so that
they also can be tested and receive
treatment if necessary.