Doctors' Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" - Epididimytis

These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.

Epididimytis [posted 1/13/99]
Question: I was first diagnosed by a urologist as having Epididimytis in June of 1998. He prescribed me six weeks of a sulfa drug (maybe bactrim?). After, the swelling had decreased by about 90 percent. After getting off the medication, the symptoms returned, so I took 2 weeks of a tetracycline (I was travelling and had to see a gp). It's been ten days since I finished that medication, and it appears as though the symptoms have returned, although it seems as though the pain and swelling are stabilized at a level more bearable than the initial onset in June. More medication? I'm still travelling - a friend who is a gp said that I should not bother with any more medication until I get a biopsy. I also heard that the disease could be hiding in the prostate each time. Is there any way to avoid this process for the next two years, as I've heard is not uncommon?

Answer: Long term antibiotics, prostate massage, regular prostate discharge(ejaculation) are the time honored ways of treating this problem. Also, you might use a drug like cipro, etc., which are effective against some of the atypical organisms which can cause this problem. I would certainly get the organism cultured prior to a biopsy.

Epididimytis [posted 8/4/98]
Question: I have had episodes of this on and off for several years. I previously took doxycycline for 2-4 week periods. This was effective at first, but gradually seemed less so. Symptoms would come back as soon as I quit taking medication. My current physician has prescribed Cipro, 500 mg twice daily along with Naproxen, 500 mg twice daily. Does this sound like a proper course of action?

Answer: Exactly what I would do.

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