Medicines to Treat Syphilis

Definition

Syphilis is one of the sexually transmitted diseases: we are talking about an infectious pathology caused by a spirochetes (acquired syphilis). When syphilis occurs in pregnant women, the fetus can lead to malformations of the skin, mucous membranes, eyes, liver, kidneys and CNS (congenital syphilis).

Causes

The beat Treponema pallidum is responsible for syphilis: the disease is transmitted through any form of unprotected sexual contact or by transfusions of infected blood. The beating, passing through the skin and mucous membranes, infects man and creates damage.

Symptoms

There are 4 stages of syphilis, each of which is characterized by different symptoms:

Primary syphilis (post-incubation: 3 weeks): appearance of painless wounds at the site of contagion
Secondary / disseminated syphilis (2 months): alopecia, rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes, diffuse non-itchy red spots
Latent syphilis: disappearance of symptoms → disease diagnosable only by serological test
Symptomatic / tertiary late syphilis: cardiovascular, cutaneous, nervous, visceral manifestations. Severe cases: death.

The information on Syphilis - Syphilis Treatment Drugs is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Syphilis - Medicines to Treat Syphilis.

Medicines

The drugs used for the treatment of syphilis are different according to the degree of severity of the disease; moreover, it is good that the sexual partner also undergoes pharmacological treatment, since the infection occurs through sex. It is useful to remember that the sooner a drug treatment is undertaken, the faster the disease is eradicated.

The following are the classes of drugs most used in the therapy against syphilis, and some examples of pharmacological specialties; it is up to the doctor to choose the most suitable active ingredient and dosage for the patient, based on the severity of the disease, the state of health of the patient and his response to treatment:

Penicillin G or benzylpenicillin (eg Benzyl B, Benzyl P) for primary and secondary syphilis, intramuscular administration of 2.4 million units of penicillin G, in a single dose, is recommended. It is also recommended to undergo regular serological tests every 6 months, for 2-3 years. For latent syphilis, take 2.4 million units of penicillin once a week for three weeks. Penicillin is the drug of choice for the treatment of syphilis.
Procaine (eg Dentosedina, Procai C) useful for the treatment of congenital, primary, latent and secondary syphilis. Take 600,000 units a day of drug intramuscularly, for 10-15 days (for a total of 6-9 million active units) for the treatment of tertiary syphilis. Reduce the duration of therapy to 8 days in case of latent syphilis. For other forms of syphilis, take 600,000 units per day intramuscularly for up to 8 days (for a total of 4,800,000 units). Frequently repeat blood tests every 6 months for 2 to 3 years after symptom remission.
Doxycycline (eg. Doxycicl, Periostat, Miraclin, Bassado) is recommended to take 100-150 mg of drug (class: tetracyclines) orally, once daily for 14 days (or 28 days, depending on the severity of primary syphilis ). In case of tertiary or latent syphilis, therapy should be continued for 28 days, taking 100-150 mg of the drug twice a day. The partner must also undergo the therapy (duration: 14 days).
Erythromycin (eg Erythrocin, Erythro L, Lauromycin). The drug is an antibiotic belonging to the macrolide class, indicated for the treatment of primary syphilis. Take 250-500 mg of the drug every 6 hours, orally. In case of severe infection, take 1-4 g per day of active intravenously, in divided doses every 6 hours, by continuous infusion. Generally, therapy should be continued for 14 days. Erythromycin is usually used as an alternative to doxycycline.
Ceftriaxone (eg. Ceftriaxone, Pantoxon, Ragex, Deixim) take 1 gram of drug intravenously or intramuscularly every 24 hours for 10-14 days. Indicated for the treatment of primary syphilis.
Tetracycline (eg. Tetrac C, Pensulvit, Ambramycin) for the treatment of primary syphilis, it is recommended to take the drug at a dosage of 500 mg orally every 6 hours for 14 days. Alternatively, administer 30-40 mg of substance, dividing the drug into several doses over a period of 10-15 days. For latent syphilis, the indicated posology is 500 mg orally every 6 hours for 28 days, or 30-40 mg divided into several doses over a period of 10-15 days. For tertiary syphilis, take 500 mg three times a day for 28 days. Tetracycline is used when penicillin cannot be taken by that patient (eg drug hypersensitivity / allergy).

However, penicillin G remains the drug of choice for the treatment of syphilis.

Syphilis prevention

Since there is no vaccine for syphilis, it is good to refrain from unprotected sex with people at risk; otherwise, carry out regular blood tests, as well as alert all people with whom you have had high-risk intercourse, up to a year before the onset of syphilis symptoms.