Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment depends on the cause of orchitis.
Treating bacterial orchitis
In addition to steps to relieve discomfort, such as resting and applying ice packs, bacterial orchitis and epididymo-orchitis require antibiotic treatment. If the cause of the infection is an STI, your sexual partner also needs treatment.
Antibiotic drugs most commonly used to treat bacterial orchitis include ceftriaxone (Rocephin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), doxycycline (Vibramycin, Doryx), azithromycin (Zithromax), and trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole combined (Bactrim, Septra). Make sure your doctor is aware of any other medications you're taking or any allergies you have. This information, as well as whether your infection is sexually transmitted and what type of STI you have, will help your doctor select the best treatment.
Be sure to take the entire course of antibiotics recommended by your doctor. Even if your symptoms clear up sooner, take all your antibiotics to ensure that the infection is gone. It may take several weeks for the tenderness to disappear.
Treating viral orchitis
If your doctor has determined that a bacterial infection isn't the cause of your orchitis, you won't need antibiotic treatment. Instead, treatment for viral orchitis, the type associated with mumps, is aimed at relieving symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others), and recommend bed rest, elevating your scrotum and applying cold packs. If you have viral orchitis, you'll usually start to feel better within three to 10 days, though it may take several weeks for the scrotal tenderness to go away.
- Orchitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/genitourinary_disorders/penile_and_scrotal_disorders/orchitis.html#v1058924. Accessed Sept. 10, 2011.
- Trojian T. et al. Epididymitis and orchitis: An overview. American Family Physician. 2009;79:583. http://www.aafp.org/afp/20090401/583.html. Accessed Sept. 10, 2011.
- Stewart A, et al. Epididymo-orchitis. BMJ. 2011;342:1.
- Corrales-Medina VF, et al. Viral & rickettsial infections. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2011. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=17051. Sept. 10, 2011.
- Epididymitis and orchitis. American Urological Association. http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=114. Accessed Sept. 10, 2011.
- Nicks BA, et al. Male genital problems. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6362635. Sept. 10, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on