Syphilis Consultation Online
WHAT IS SYPHILIS?
Syphilis is a bacterial infection usually spread by sexual contact. The disease starts as a painless sore — typically on the genitals, rectum, or mouth. Syphilis spreads from person to person via skin or mucous membrane contact with these sores. Both men and women are affected. It is simple to transmit to sexual partners and, if untreated, may result in permanent harm. During pregnancy, a mother’s syphilis might pass to her unborn child. However, syphilis cannot spread through casual contact with items like hot tubs, doorknobs, dining utensils, toilet seats, or clothing.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE SYPHILIS?
A telemedicine physician can determine if you have syphilis by asking you to perform a physical examination by looking at your genitalia and checking for chancres, which are skin rashes or sores, followed by a blood test. Before your Syphilis Consultation online, see for the following symptoms:
- Primary
Painless sores appear at the site of infection (mouth, anus, rectum, vagina, or penis). These are called chancres. The sores heal after 3 to 6 weeks, but you can still spread syphilis.
- Secondary
Reddish brown rash on palms of hands and soles of feet, swollen lymph nodes, Fever, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, body aches, and extreme tiredness (fatigue) are the most common easily identified symptoms.
- Latent
During this phase, the syphilis bacteria are still alive in your body, but you have no signs or symptoms of the infection. You are not contagious during this stage, but syphilis may still affect your heart, brain, nerves, bones, and other body parts. This phase can last for years. Not everyone who has syphilis will enter this phase of the infection. Some people will go into the tertiary stage.
- Tertiary (Late)
This stage begins when symptoms from the secondary stage disappear. Syphilis is not contagious at this point, but the infection has started to affect your organs which may lead to death. Symptoms of tertiary syphilis may include: Problems controlling muscle movements, Numbness, Vision problems (you may go blind), and dementia.
Online syphilis treatment will likely include drawing your blood to check for the infection and getting antibiotic treatment if you are infected. Your online provider can send orders for lab work to the nearest lab and coordinate treatment in a location near you. An injection of the antibiotic penicillin into a muscle, typically in the thigh or buttock region, is there commended treatment for primary, secondary, and latent syphilis if you do not already have a known allergy to penicillin. Intravenous antibiotic infusions are used to treat patients with tertiary syphilis. Often these patients are quite ill and are treated in the hospital. While connecting with a Get care-MD doctor, you can obtain a doctor’s prescription online for a comprehensive STI check.
After getting a penicillin injection or taking other antibiotics, you may experience:
- Fever
- Headaches
- Joint or muscle pain
- All of the above, plus nausea and chills
- If you have side effects, they typically only last about 24 hours.
Once you’ve completed your treatment, the antibiotics will kill the bacteria that cause syphilis and prevent any additional problems from occurring because of that particular case. But it’s important to understand that the treatment cannot reverse or heal the damage.
PREVENT AND MANAGE SYPHILIS WITH THESE PRECAUTIONS
- Always use a condom or a dental dam when you have sex.
- Stay connected with a healthcare provider for regular STI screenings.
- Ask your partner(s) to be tested for STIs
- Avoid sexual contact until treatment has been completed to prevent spreading
- Avoid sharing sex toys.