Ambulatory treatment of suspected pelvic inflammatory disease with Augmentin, with or without doxycycline

Sixty-three women with suspected pelvic inflammatory disease were treated as outpatients with Augmentin with or without doxycycline. Initially, doxycycline was added only after a direct test for Chlamydia trachomatis was positive. Because chlamydial infections were frequent, all patients received doxycycline during the last two thirds of the study. Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Chlamydia trachomatis were recovered from 15 (65%) of 23 women classified as probably having pelvic inflammatory disease. Among 47 women reexamined after starting therapy, three rapidly became worse and were hospitalized, nine (20%) discontinued therapy because of gastrointestinal side effects, and all of the remaining 35 women who completed therapy were either cured or improved.