Azithromycin Tablets (3 Day Chlamydia Treatment)

Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted disease in the UK, with over 200,000 patients testing positive every year. However, chlamydia can affect people of all ages.

Read more about Chlamydia: The Silent STI. 

If you have had unprotected sex with a partner who could have chlamydia you need to get tested. You can find your local sexual health clinic on the NHS website.

Symptoms of Chlamydia in men can range from:

• No symptoms (One quarter to one-half of all males infected with chlamydia do not suffer from any symptoms)
• Discharge from the penis (white, cloudy or watery)
• Burning sensation when passing urine
• Swelling or pain in testicles
• Painful joints if left untreated

Chlamydia can also appear as a throat infection, conjunctivitis (in the eyes) and as rectal pain, discharge or bleeding.

Symptoms of Chlamydia in women can range from:

• No symptoms (Seven out of ten women with chlamydia do not suffer from any symptoms)
• Abnormal vaginal discharge
• Bleeding between periods
• Bleeding or pain when having sex
• Burning sensation when passing urine
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (lower abdominal pains, vaginal discharge and fever)
• Infertility if left untreated
• Joint pain if left untreated

There are free test kits available both online and in your nearest sexual health clinic. You can order one online from the NHS if you are under the age of 25 free of charge. The test is completed by giving a sample of urine in a vial and sending it off to get tested. You will receive your test results within 4 weeks by text.

When you buy this medicine online or from your local pharmacy, always take the medication exactly as your doctor and pharmacist have prescribed.

These tablets can be taken with or without food, and it is suggested to take them with half a glass of water.

The normal dosage for chlamydia treatment is 1000mg all in one go, then 500mg daily for two days. The entire course is 3 days long.

Do not have sex until you have completed all of the treatment.

After the course of treatment is complete it is possible that you could test positive for Chlamydia for up to 8 weeks despite no longer being infectious.

As with any form of medication, when you use this medicine it may have side effects. For a full list of side effects, please read the medication Patient Information Leaflet.

Below are a few of the common side effects of taking this medicine:

• Diarrhoea
• Abdominal pain
• Feeling sick (nausea)
• Loose wind (flatulence).
• Lack of appetite.
• Feeling dizzy
• Headache
• Sensation of pins and needles or numbness (paraesthesia)
• Changes in your sense of taste
• Visual impairment
• Deafness
• Being sick (vomiting), stomach pain or cramps, loss of appetite, problems digesting your food
• Skin rashes and itching
• Joint pain (arthralgia)
• Fatigue
• Change in the quantity of the white blood cells and the concentration of bicarbonate in the blood

Combining alcohol and Azithromycin is best avoided as it could worsen the side effects associated with the drug.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently taken any other medication. Below is a list of medications that may interfere with this treatment:

• Antacids – Should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after the antacid
• Ergotamine – Should not be taken at the same time as serious side effects may develop
• Cholesterol-lowering medicines (statins)
• Warfarin or similar medicines – Used to thin the blood. Azithromycin can thin the blood even more
• Cisapride – Should not be taken at the same time as this may cause severe heart problems
• Terfenadine – Should not be taken at the same time as this may cause severe heart problems
• Zidovudine or Nelfinavir – Used to treat HIV infections. Taking nelfinavir with Azithromycin may induce side-effects
• Rifabutin – Used to treat tuberculosis (TB)
• Quinidine – Used to treat heart rhythm problems
• Cyclosporin – Your doctor may change your dose
• Alfentanil – A painkiller, used with Azithromycin may make the effects stronger
• Theophylline – Use with Azithromycin may make the effects stronger
• Digoxin – Used to treat heart problems, use with Azithromycin may make the effects stronger
• Astemizol – Used to treat hay fever, use with Azithromycin may make the effects stronger
• Pimozide – Used to treat mental health problems, use with Azithromycin may make the effects stronger

Always read important information about Azithromycin treatment before you commence treatment.

You can NOT take this chlamydia treatment if:

• You are allergic to any of the ingredients
• Suffer from kidney or liver issues
• Have localized muscle weakness
• Have a neurological disease
• Suffer from behavioural problems
• Have prolonged QT interval
• Have irregular heartbeats or suffer from reduced heart function
• Have low magnesium or potassium levels in your blood.

If you are unsure of any of the above criteria, please contact your doctor before commencing this treatment.

Unnecessary use or misuse of any antibiotic can lead to its decreased effectiveness.

If you buy this treatment online or from your local pharmacy, it can prevent the spread of chlamydia as it effectively kills the bacteria in your body making you no longer infectious. This medicine can also prevent the long-term effects of Chlamydia such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, urethral infection and overall pain in both men and women.

You can learn more about the complications of Chlamydia to reinforce why you should buy this medicine online. Alternatively use our Ask-A- Pharmacist service to get help with any questions you might have!

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the packaging. Store the tablets as per instruction of the patient information leaflet.

If you buy these tablets online please check the expiry date when it arrives to you in the post.

Whenever you buy these tablets online it will come in blister packs that are not currently recyclable, so once they have been used can be disposed of in a general waste bin. If the medicine is unfinished dispose of the medication safely and drop them off at a local pharmacy. Cardboard packaging and paper patient information leaflets are recyclable.

For any more information on the disposal of this medicine, you can use our free Ask-a-Pharmacist service.

Yes, you can buy this chlamydia treatment online from registered  prescribers such as e-Surgery.

Whenever buying these tablets or any other medication online, make sure the website displays the green GPhC and MHRA logos on the bottom of each page.

You can use the GPhC website to check if a pharmacy is registered. This will ensure that the medicine you are buying is genuine.

If you choose to buy this medicine online from e-Surgery, prices start from £14.95.

You can find out more information before you buy this medicine online in the medication patient information leaflet.

You can also use our completely free Ask-a-Pharmacist service to get health advice from a trained professional. We’re here to help!

e-Surgery uses Royal Mail delivery with choices starting from Royal Mail 48 tracked delivery, Royal Mail tracked 24 and Royal Mail 1 pm special delivery from (discover more about e-Surgery delivery). When you buy these tablets online it will arrive in discreet, recyclable packaging at a delivery address of your choice. Find out to recycle packaging from e-Surgery.