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CDC recommends using an antibiotic as a "morning pill" against STDs
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Some people should consider taking an antibiotic as an emergency treatment to prevent certain sexually transmitted infections, U.S. health officials recommend.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has endorsed a recommendation to take doxycycline after unprotected sex as a way to prevent infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
CDC officials called it the first new tool to prevent sexually transmitted infections in decades, and said the innovation is urgently needed. Rates of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea have been rising for years, especially among gay and bisexual men, though recent data showed that cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea stopped rising in 2022.
The new recommendation applies to gay and bisexual men and transgender women who had an STD in the past year and are at high risk of re-infection. Studies have shown doxycycline to be effective in this group, but there is not enough evidence to make the same recommendation for other people, agency officials said.
The treatment is called doxy PEP, which is short for "doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis." Doctors can prescribe a single dose of 200 milligrams of doxycycline to be taken within three days of unprotected sex, the CDC says.
In October, the CDC released a draft version of the guidelines. The proposed language was changed slightly after a public comment period. The changes include clarifying that the pills should be taken no more than once every 24 hours and that doctors should review the regimen with patients every three to six months.