Exact Answer: At least one week
As an STI or sexually transmitted infection, chlamydia is one of the most notorious ones. It is much more common than any other STI in most countries around the world. It is a bacterial infection that is spread through sex. Unprotected sexual intercourse is one of the prime causes of chlamydia.
Women suffering from the infection may experience pain while peeing, bleeding in between periods, and belly pain, while men may experience pain and swelling in the testicles. A short course of antibiotics can cure the infection effectively. The patient in question has to take Azithromycin- the antibiotic designed to fight the infection. If left untreated it can severely affect the health of the patient.
How Long After Azithromycin Is Chlamydia Cured?
The course of treatment followed for patients who have been positively diagnosed with chlamydia is quite limited. It is mainly centered around the ingestion of oral medication. This method of treating the infection is considered standard by all medical practitioners. However, the specific drug used to treat the infection for each patient may vary.
Generally, chlamydia is cured by a rapid-action antibiotic medicine. Azithromycin is the one that is prescribed. This antibiotic has to be taken only once after the diagnosis. It has the power of curing chlamydia within 7 days since the initial dosage.
However, in cases where the symptoms are recurrent even after the treatment has taken place, it is seminal to visit a doctor in order to reevaluate the situation. In such cases, due to some complications, it may take a few more days to cure chlamydia.
Another important caveat in the issue is that there is a commonly misjudged notion that Azithromycin cures chlamydia completely. This is not true. The same patient can be re-infected with the bacterial infection in the future. Chlamydia can return after the course of antibiotics is over. It is important to adopt ways of preventing the infection by opting for safe sex practices and having a limited number of sexual partners.
It is also advisable that the patient in question takes another chlamydia test within 3 months of the infection being cured by the antibiotic. This helps ensure that the patient is perfectly healthy and is not at risk of spreading the STI to his or her partners.
In Summary:
| Infection type | Healing Time Frame |
| Generic Infections Without Complications | 7 days |
| Complications Related to the Infection | More than 7 days |
Why Does It Take So Long To Cure Chlamydia After Azithromycin?
Azithromycin is an antibiotic medicine. It is designed to fight chlamydia. As an antibiotic, the medicine is specifically curated to annihilate the bacteria that causes chlamydia. One gram of the antibiotic is enough to kill the infection.
However, even such a powerful medicine takes time to diffuse in the body and show the desired results. Bacterial infections are known to be quite resilient. Azithromycin is one of the very few drugs that have been known to have an almost 97% to 98% efficacy rating in clinical trials.
It takes the circulatory system some time to pick up the components of the antibiotic. These then are synthesized with enzymes in the blood to effectively eliminate the infection and all its allied symptoms. However, this requires almost a week to show results.
When one is diagnosed with the infection, it is important to refrain from sex for at least a week. This is mandated because the STI can be transferred to the sexual partner or partners of the patient. Moreover, if one gets a positive diagnosis for the infection or starts showing symptoms, the individual in question must contact his or her sexual partner and inform them about it and ask them to get tested as well.
If the patient has sexual intercourse without the infection being completely cured, then there is a chance that both partners will be recurrently infected by chlamydia as they will keep giving it back to each other. It is essential to have the STI treated as the body of the patient cannot cure it on its own.
Conclusion
STIs are infamous for their rapid spreading capacities. According to statistical analysis, every adult will be infected with an STI at least once during the course of their lifetimes. Chlamydia is one such sexually transmitted infection that may affect those who have unprotected intercourse.
However, a dose of antibiotics is quite enough to clear the infection. Usually, doctors have two antibiotic treatments that they prescribe to cure the infection. Chlamydia can be cured within merely a week’s time by remaining on a course of antibiotics like Azithromycin. Only in certain severe cases of the infection, it may still persist after a week.