Sahealth.sa.gov.au

Sometimes the symptoms of urethritis may be slow The information contained within this publication is for to settle, or they may return after a week or two.
general information only. Readers should always seek independent, professional advice where appropriate. If you have taken the antibiotics and have not had Royal Adelaide Hospital will not accept any liability sex, it is unlikely that an infection is still present. for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any In most cases, the symptoms should resolve in a week or two and you should not need further Please refer any questions about this information to your treatmentIf you have had sex or did not take treating medical officer and/or nursing staff.
the medication as directed, or have persistent symptoms for longer than two weeks, you should Occasionally, men may experience a discharge from the penis or discomfort when urinating, but laboratory tests show no evidence of infection (ie the swab results are normal). This condition is called urethral irritation. It means the urethra has been affected by something other than an infection.
Possible causes of this condition include: STD Services web site:
www.stdservices.on.net/std/nsu
> repeated squeezing or milking of the urethra Email: std.services@health.sa.gov.au
> very frequent or vigorous masturbation or sexual Monday, Thursday and Friday
10am – 4.30pm
> concentrated urine caused by dehydration Tuesday and Wednesday
> caffeine and/or alcohol, possibly some 11am – 6.30pm
1st floor, 275 North Terrace
Adelaide 5000
Free and confidential advice, testing and Telephone: 8222 5075
treatment for all STDs including HIV/AIDS Urethral irritation is not sexually transmitted and always settles without antibiotic treatment. It Toll free country call: 1800 806 490
will settle faster if you avoid sex, masturbation, squeezing or milking the penis, alcohol and in languages other than English, call the Interpreting and Translating Centre on (08) 8226 1990 and ask them to call the Royal Adelaide Hospital. This service is free.
Department of Health, Government of South Australia. All rights reserved. RAH.07.09.153 Urethritis is usually treated with doxycycline (Doryx, Take one gram of azithromycin as a single dose. Vibramycin) or azithromycin (Zithromax).
This may be either two or four tablets depending > Take a single dose of two capsules daily for Azithromycin may cause abdominal pain and nausea. If this happens, eating sometimes helps. > Take the capsules after a meal.
The symptoms usually settle within a few hours.
> Drink a full glass of water after taking the capsules, and do not lie down for at least half Do not have sex until the results of your The main side effect of doxycycline is irritation of the stomach. If you follow the instructions but > discharge (milky or pus-like) from the experience abdominal pain after taking doxycycline, try taking two daily doses of one capsule. Stomach > stinging or burning during urination irritation is less likely if you avoid alcohol.
Symptoms such as discharge, stinging or irritation > itching, tingling, burning or irritation will settle down much more quickly if you do not Doxycycline may make the skin more sensitive to have sex (vaginal, oral or anal), masturbate, or sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight, and wear a hat, long sleeves and sunscreen while you are taking the Return to the clinic for the results of all your tests.
Doxycycline must never be taken by pregnant women Urethritis not caused by either gonorrhoea or The doctor gently inserts a swab into the chlamydia is called non specific urethritis (NSU). urethra. The specimen is then examined in Do not have sex until the results of your The cause of NSU frequently is not known, but antibiotic treatment is usually effective.
Swabs are best taken three or four hours Although NSU does not cause symptoms in women, female partners of men with NSU may need to be Never share your treatment with anyone else. If an infection is present, it can sometimes Partners do not automatically require treatment. be detected at the STD clinic on the same They should be examined by a doctor first.
day. However, it usually takes several days for chlamydia and gonorrhoea results to become available.

Source: http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/007db180418b7e2686baef67a94f09f9/09239MA-Urethritis+09+PROOF.pdf?MOD=AJPERES