Itching and heat in scrotal area

[Robbi1]

I live in the UK and about three weeks ago I had unprotected sex with a girl and immediately afterwards by the next day I had itching in my groin area, I had no visible signs or any discharge. I talked to a health advisor and she suggested that it might be Scabies and to use a ‘Derbac’ treatment which would eliminate that, which I did. I went to the doctors 5 days later and he prescribed me ‘Azithromycin’ an antibiotic to take in case I’d been infected with Chlamydia. Six days after that I was still itching so I went to the STD clinic, they said the previous antibiotic I had taken would mask any tests they did but they swabbed anyway and found a little NSU so they gave me another 1000mg of ‘Azithromycin’.
Now its three weeks later and I’m a bit worried about the possibility of it being a resilient strain of Gonorrhoea not affected by the antibiotic I have taken? Because I am still having problems, I have no discharge, no pain when I urinate but I still have an itchy scrotum which has now developed into heat around the scotum area, it’s not all the time but it does come in prolonged spells and it is a very hot sensation, strangely sometimes when my scrotum seems colder to touch! This is not happening after exercise either, it can be when I sit for extended periods but can also happen when I’m lying in bed even with the covers off. I have noticed that my scrotum has been warmer since day one but it has developed to a quite worrying level now. Oh yeah I have also been prescribed and used anti-fungal creams ‘Caneston’ and later an anti-fungal steroid cream ‘Timodene’ neither of which worked with the ‘Timodene’ possibly making it worse.
Any help you can give would be great as I am starting to wonder if I’m ever going to find an effective treatment.  Thanks

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Sensations like those you describe are most consistent with worry over exposure through unprotected sex, not with gonorrhea or any other STD.  I think the adviser who suggested scabies after brief itching did you a disservice--scabies itching develops gradually over a period of weeks or longer.  As to antibiotic treatment masking gonorrhea, I am not expert in this area, but it does seem to me that you didn't have symptoms of that disease either before getting the antibiotic you took, or now.  I would put that question to the provider who prescribed the antibiotic.  As to your various sensations of heat and cold, I think you are best off ignoring them, as they signify only anxiety.  The antifungal cream is almost certainly irrelevant.

In sum, I advise you to consult an STD specialist, get definitive diagnosis and presumably reassurance, and then move on (practicing only safe sex from now on, of course.)

Best.

Dr. Rockoff