How Are STDs Treated? Current Standard of Care
Quick answer
One ceftriaxone shot cures gonorrhea; 7 days of doxycycline clears chlamydia; penicillin fixes syphilis at any stage; metronidazole kills trich; antivirals suppress herpes; ART makes HIV undetectable. Bacterial cures finish within a week — testing was always the hard part.
Current standard treatment by infection
| Infection | First-line (CDC) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | Doxycycline 100mg BID ×7d | Azithromycin demoted after efficacy data; amoxicillin for pregnancy |
| Gonorrhea | Ceftriaxone 500mg IM ×1 | Resistance killed the alternatives; test-of-cure advised |
| Syphilis | Benzathine penicillin G IM | 1 dose primary/secondary; 3 weekly for late latent |
| Trichomoniasis | Metronidazole | 2g single or 500mg BID ×7d; partners treat simultaneously |
| BV | Metronidazole 500mg BID ×7d | Not an STI but rides the same clinic visit |
| Herpes | Acyclovir/valacyclovir/famciclovir | Episodic for outbreaks; daily suppression reduces shedding ~50% |
| HIV | ART regimens (usually integrase inhibitor-based) | Goal: undetectable = untransmittable (U=U) |
| Hep C | Sofosbuvir-based DAA combos | 8–12 weeks, >95% cure |
| Hep B | Tenofovir/entecavir when indicated | Suppression not cure; vaccine prevents |
Rules that make treatment work
- Treat both partners simultaneously wherever reinfection risk exists — trich and bacterial STIs especially.
- Abstinence until clear: no sex until treatment completes + 7 days (lesions healed for herpes).
- Finish courses even as symptoms vanish — partial treatment breeds resistance.
- Test-of-cure where required: gonorrhea (~2 weeks post-treatment), pregnant chlamydia patients.
- Retest at 3 months for everyone treated — reinfection rates justify assuming round two otherwise.
The Jarisch-Herxheimer heads-up: syphilis treatment occasionally triggers a day of fever/aches as bacteria die en masse. Dramatic, harmless, self-resolving.
Getting treated affordably
- Public clinics: positive results there come with free/low-cost medication same-visit (free routes).
- Direct-pay labs + telehealth: positives route to prescription consults without office fees.
- Pharmacy discounts: doxycycline and metronidazole run cheap via discount programs even uninsured.
- Bicillin caveat: syphilis's injectable penicillin requires clinic administration — supply shortages periodically make early treatment extra wise.
Drug-specific deep dives: doxycycline, metronidazole, amoxicillin (mostly a no). Prevention's other half lives in the prevention stack.
Frequently asked questions
How are STDs treated?
Antibiotics cure bacterial ones (days), antivirals suppress viral ones, antiparasitics kill trich — each infection has a specific CDC-recommended regimen above.
What antibiotic cures most STDs?
Doxycycline covers chlamydia plus several others — but no single drug covers everything, which is why testing guides treatment.
Can I get STD treatment online?
Yes — telehealth services prescribe after reviewing lab results; direct-pay testing platforms bundle consults with panels.
How long until I'm cured?
Bacterial cures: days to one week of medication. Symptom relief often arrives within 48 hours of starting correct therapy.
Why did my partner get different drugs than me?
Regimens vary by infection, pregnancy status, allergies and site — different prescriptions can still be curing the same outbreak.
Sources & further reading
- 📚 CDC — STI Treatment Guidelines 2021 (current) — www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/default.htm
- 📚 CDC — Gonorrhea treatment updates — www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/gonorrhea.htm
- 📚 NIH — HIV ART guidelines — clinicalinfo.hiv.gov