Photo Credit: TriggerPhoto/istock

Text Size:

The best approach to sexually transmitted diseases is prevention. Understand how to prevent STDs through abstaining from sexual intercourse, using protection during sex, and learning about how STDs are spread. If you or your partner is faced with the diagnosis of an STD, there are many treatment and recovery options to help you live a healthy, sexually active life.

Antibiotics

The Bacterial STDs can all be treated with antibiotics. This makes gonorrhea and Chlamydia much easier to treat because both can be treated with a course of antibiotics. Many doctors give a general antibiotic to cover both infections if a patient tests positive for one. It is important to have any current partners treated at the same time to avoid re-infection. Antibiotics can cure the infection but will not remove any permanent damage done before the patient sought treatment. Therefore, it is imperative to seek treatment immediately.

• About: How is Gonorrhea Treated?
• Common STD Treatments

Antiretroviral Therapy

Most common for treatment of HIV, but also used for other viral infections, antiretroviral therapy consists of a cocktail of drugs. This is called "Combination Therapy." Combination therapy works better than using just one antiretroviral drug alone. It also helps prevent drug resistance. When HIV multiplies, most of the new copies are mutations meaning that they are slightly different from the original virus. These mutations can become resistant to the drugs. The drugs do not kill the virus. However, they slow down the growth of the virus. When the virus is slowed down, so is HIV disease. Antiretroviral drugs are referred to as ARV. ARV therapy is referred to as ART. Antiretroviral therapy can have significant side effects including headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarreaha, insomnia, and in some cases patients can have toxic buildup in their bodies.The Aids InfoNet: Antiretroviral Therapy

Comments / Post a comment