TRICHOMONIASIS: TREATMENT
Only one medication has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trichomoniasis: metronidazole. Although this medicine is also available as a cream, only the pill form is effective for trichomoniasis treatment. The cream form does not treat the infection in the urethra and genital glands; therefore, even though the symptoms disappear, recurrence is common. Metronidazole can be taken in a large single dose or in smaller quantities spread over a week. Both of these regimens cure the infection about 95 percent of the time in men and women. If symptoms persist after treatment, a follow-up examination is recommended. The sexual contacts over the past two months of anyone who has been diagnosed with trichomonas infection must also be treated.
When this course of metronidazole does not work, a higher dose of the medication must be taken over a longer time, and this is often best done in consultation with a specialist in sexually transmitted infections. Those being treated for trichomoniasis should not have sexual contact until they and their partners have been treated, have taken all their medication, and have achieved complete resolution of their symptoms.
A word about metronidazole and its side effects: This medication should not be taken with alcohol, since the combination can cause violent nausea and vomiting. It is a good idea not to have any alcohol forty-eight hours before taking the medication, while you are taking it, and forty-eight hours after taking it. It can also cause stomach upset and a metallic taste in the mouth.
*393\213\8*
