Ceftriaxone 1g Injection – Gonorrhoea Treatment (In Store)

Ceftriaxone is a prescription-only antibiotic from the cephalosporin group, given as a single injection into a muscle. Ways Pharmacy offers it as a treatment appointment for people aged 16 and over with uncomplicated gonorrhoea confirmed by a laboratory test. It is the first-line treatment for gonorrhoea in UK guidance. The injection is given in our Holborn pharmacy only after a pharmacist has assessed you and confirmed that it is suitable.

How to access this treatment

1. Book or call. Book and pay here, or call 020 8106 7084 to arrange a time at our Holborn pharmacy. Have your test result ready.
2. Private assessment. In our consulting room, a GPhC-registered pharmacist checks your ID, test result, symptoms, allergies, medicines and pregnancy status, and confirms whether ceftriaxone is suitable.
3. Single injection. If suitable, the pharmacist gives the injection into a large muscle. Afterwards you stay for a short observation period.
4. Follow-up advice. The pharmacist explains partner notification, when you can have sex again and when to have a test of cure.

The price includes the pharmacist assessment and the injection — there is no separate consultation fee. If the injection is not suitable for you, you receive a full refund and the pharmacist will refer you to a sexual health clinic, which can offer other treatments. This treatment is given in store only and nothing is posted.

About this treatment

Who can have this treatment

• People aged 16 and over
• Gonorrhoea confirmed by a laboratory test — a positive NAAT result, a positive culture, or a positive microscopy result from a clinic. Rapid self-tests that give a result in minutes are not accepted
• No signs that the infection has spread
• An injection into a muscle is safe for you

We cannot give treatment without a confirmed result, including to partners of someone with gonorrhoea who have not been tested. Please book a gonorrhoea test first, or visit an NHS sexual health clinic. A penicillin allergy on its own does not always rule out ceftriaxone — tell the pharmacist exactly what happened when you reacted.

After treatment

• Avoid all sex, including oral sex, until 7 days after both you and your partner(s) have been treated
• Recent sexual partners should be tested and treated if needed, even if they have no symptoms
• A test of cure is recommended if the infection was in your throat, if symptoms continue, if you are pregnant, or if the lab did not test which antibiotics work against your infection. The pharmacist will tell you when to test
• Consider testing for chlamydia, HIV and syphilis

See our gonorrhoea treatment service for full details.

Warnings and who should not have this treatment

• People under 16 — please visit an NHS sexual health clinic
• Anyone without a laboratory-confirmed positive result
• Pain in the lower tummy or pelvis, pain during sex, pain or swelling in the testicles, a red or sticky eye, or fever, rash or painful joints — these can mean a complicated infection that needs a sexual health clinic
• Symptoms that continue after previous gonorrhoea treatment
• Anyone allergic to ceftriaxone or any other cephalosporin, or who has had a severe allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis to any penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotic
• Anyone who cannot have lidocaine
• Tell the pharmacist if you take blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder or low platelets, as this may make the injection unsafe
• Tell the pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have kidney, liver or gallbladder problems, or have had C. difficile infection

Possible side effects

Soreness, redness or swelling where the injection was given, diarrhoea, feeling or being sick, rash, headache and dizziness. Serious allergic reactions are rare, which is why you are observed briefly after the injection. Get urgent medical help if you develop swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing or a severe rash after you leave, or severe or persistent diarrhoea.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.