Ciprofloxacin for STDs

Gonorrhea developed significant resistance to ciprofloxacin over the 2000s, to the point that health authorities stopped recommending it as a first-line treatment. Current treatment guidelines favor ceftriaxone instead, specifically because it remains reliably effective where ciprofloxacin often isn't anymore. This shift is a genuinely good example of antibiotic resistance changing treatment guidance within a fairly short window.

Ciprofloxacin still has legitimate uses for other types of bacterial infections outside the STD space, and in specific circumstances a doctor might still consider it for an STD-related infection based on individual factors like allergy history or local resistance patterns — but it's no longer the default choice it once was. The bigger takeaway here is a general one: treatment guidelines change as bacteria evolve, which is exactly why self-treating with old prescriptions, or assuming a drug you've heard of is still the right one, isn't a reliable substitute for a current diagnosis and prescription.