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STDs (Expert Forum)
Self-Treatment Disaster
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
Welcome to the STD Forum, which is intended only for questions and support pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV/AIDS, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus, genital warts, trichomonas, other vaginal infections, nongonoccal urethritis (NGU), cervicitis, molluscum contagiosum, chancroid, and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). All questions will be answered by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D. or Edward W Hook, MD.
Self-Treatment Disaster
by sampson87, Jan 28, 2009 10:05PM
I received unprotected oral sex from a csw, followed by protected vaginal sex. I got worried about STDs and decided to self-treat with some amoxicillin I got on a trip to Mexico a few months earlier.
I did some research on the internet to get the dosages. For gonorrhea, I took 5 grams, followed a few hours later by 2.5 grams. I took way more than what is normally prescribed for two reasons. First, I was worried about resistance. Second, I wasn't confident that the drug was pure, since I figured Mexican drug regulation might be lax. For chlamydia, I took 1g of amoxicillin 4 times a day for 3.5 days, when I ran out.
I realized that self-treatment was dumb, so I went to the STD clinic for testing. This was about 2.5 days after my last dose of amoxicillin. I got all the tests. Everything came back negative.
Now I'm worried that my self-treatment attempt skewed the test results. (I didn't mention the self-treatment to the doctors.) Is it possible that my treatment didn't cure the diseases, but inhibited them enough to produce a false positive result?
I've been avoiding sex with my girlfriend and she's starting to get suspicious. I want to put this whole episode behind me. Does that mean another trip to the STD clinic? If so, how long do I need to wait to make sure that the antibiotics aren't interfering with test results?
And your other readers should learn from my example: Don't self-treat, just suck it up and get tested by a professional.
I did some research on the internet to get the dosages. For gonorrhea, I took 5 grams, followed a few hours later by 2.5 grams. I took way more than what is normally prescribed for two reasons. First, I was worried about resistance. Second, I wasn't confident that the drug was pure, since I figured Mexican drug regulation might be lax. For chlamydia, I took 1g of amoxicillin 4 times a day for 3.5 days, when I ran out.
I realized that self-treatment was dumb, so I went to the STD clinic for testing. This was about 2.5 days after my last dose of amoxicillin. I got all the tests. Everything came back negative.
Now I'm worried that my self-treatment attempt skewed the test results. (I didn't mention the self-treatment to the doctors.) Is it possible that my treatment didn't cure the diseases, but inhibited them enough to produce a false positive result?
I've been avoiding sex with my girlfriend and she's starting to get suspicious. I want to put this whole episode behind me. Does that mean another trip to the STD clinic? If so, how long do I need to wait to make sure that the antibiotics aren't interfering with test results?
And your other readers should learn from my example: Don't self-treat, just suck it up and get tested by a professional.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jan 28, 2009 11:31PM
, Jan 28, 2009 11:31PM
When antibiotics "interfere" with test results, it is generally because they cure any infection that was present. In other words, with negative tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia, you can be sure you aren't infected now, if you were to start -- which is very unlikely, in view of the low risk exposure you describe.
You are correct in your apparent understanding that self treatment is generally a bad idea. But it did no harm this time (unless it caused GI upset, diarrhea, etc -- which I would expect with the double-giant doses of amoxicillin you took).
As for resuming sex with your girlfriend, I never guarantee someone isn't infected. But if I were in your situation, I would not hesitate to have unprotected sex with my wife.
Regards-- HHH, MD
You are correct in your apparent understanding that self treatment is generally a bad idea. But it did no harm this time (unless it caused GI upset, diarrhea, etc -- which I would expect with the double-giant doses of amoxicillin you took).
As for resuming sex with your girlfriend, I never guarantee someone isn't infected. But if I were in your situation, I would not hesitate to have unprotected sex with my wife.
Regards-- HHH, MD
