Can you buy Gonorrhoea treatment online?

Key Takeaways

STI Prevalence and Common Types:

Over 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired daily worldwide. The most common STIs are HPV, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhoea. HPV often causes no symptoms and clears on its own, while Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea are bacterial infections that can be treated with antibiotics.

Gonorrhoea Treatment:

You cannot buy Gonorrhoea treatment online as it requires a prescription and an injection that must be administered in a clinic. The first-line treatment involves oral antibiotics and a single intramuscular injection to effectively clear the infection and prevent antibiotic resistance.

Gonorrhoea Transmission and Prevention:

Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection transmitted through sexual contact, often without symptoms. It can be prevented by using condoms during sex and maintaining proper hygiene with sex toys. If you test positive, it’s crucial to inform recent sexual partners so they can be tested and treated.

The prevalence of STI’s is an ever-growing concern, as more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections are acquired every single day worldwide! Among those infections, the most common ones are HPV, Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STI and most sexually active adults will have it at some point in their lives. However, most cases cause no symptoms or harm and your body clears it on its own; only a handful of HPV transmissions lead to cases of genital warts or cervical cancer.

Chlamydia is the second most common sexually transmitted infection and is caused by bacteria; as is Gonorrhoea which is the next most common kind. Although prevalent, bacterial infections are thankfully curable using antibiotics.

Can you buy Gonorrhoea treatment online?

No. Although many sexual health treatments are now available online, it’s not suitable for Gonorrhoea treatment to be sold in this way. You can't buy gonorrhoea treatment over the counter because it needs a prescription. To get the injection, you need to visit a clinic as you can’t self administer the first-line treatment.

First-line treatment means the option that you should be trying first of all, and for Gonorrhoea, this is a course of oral antibiotics plus a single intramuscular injection (NHS, 2021). The oral antibiotic options are the same as for Chlamydia infections; either 1g of Azithromycin (taken in a single dose) or a 7 day course of Doxycycline (100mg taken twice a day).

While both of the oral medications are perfectly suitable to be bought online and self-administered (as when treating a Chlamydia infection), it’s the injection part of the combination therapy that causes an issue. This injection is a single intramuscular dose of Ceftriaxone (250mg), which is another antibiotic.

The reason that it’s important to have both the oral antibiotics and the injection is because the oral antibiotics alone have been shown not to completely clear the infection. Some bacteria (particularly those living around the anus area) are able to survive the antibiotics and then build up a resistance. 

Of course, the first-line treatment is not always suitable for everyone, so there are other options available (including a dual combination of two different oral antibiotics) but to try and minimise the risk of a widespread Gonorrhoea antibiotic resistance, most reputable online medicine sellers will not offer treatment for Gonorrhoea.

You can, however, buy reliable Gonorrhoea test kits online. If you’re nervous about talking about your sexual health face-to-face and would rather test yourself from the comfort of your own home then you can now do this, while still being able to trust the results. If you do receive a positive result then you should visit your GP or local sexual health clinic for treatment.

What is Gonorrhoea?

Gonorrhoea is a bacterial infection that is passed from one person to another by sexual contact (vaginal, oral and anal), as the bacteria is mainly found in discharge from the penis and vaginal fluid (NHS, 2021).

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae or gonococcus. It used to be known as "the clap".

It can also be passed by sharing sex toys that have not been washed or have not been covered with a condom each time they’re used.

The infection can go unnoticed for long periods of time because many people experience no symptoms at all - around 5 in 10 infected women and 1 in 10 infected men (NHS, 2021). However, if you do notice symptoms then this will normally be a thick discharge (from the penis/vagina) and pain when urinating. Women may also notice bleeding between periods.

Because Gonorrhoea is caused by a bacteria (as opposed to a virus), the infection is curable using antibiotics. Once you have tested positive for Gonorrhoea, you will also need to contact your recent sexual partners to ensure they are tested too, and treated if they are also infected.

Although Gonorrhoea is curable, it’s better to try and prevent its spread. Use condoms whenever you have sex (including oral) and make sure to follow proper hygiene measures when using sex toys (particularly if you’re sharing them).