Oral and Penicillin VK

[noname2429]

Thank you for your help.  I am a man who received oral sex from a woman 2 days ago.  I have read many of the posts concerning oral sex and realize that it is a low risk sex option.  I have been on Penicillin VK for a few days due to some upcoming dental work.  I know that gonhorrea and ngu are the only real (albeit very small) risks, and typically your advice to people is that if they haven't had any symptoms of discharge etc. that you do not recommend testing.  Does my Penicillin VK change that advice?  I have a "normal" sex partner that I want to keep safe.  If you were me would you get tested and if so, how long after stopping the Penicillin VK do you recommend I wait?  Would symptoms of gonorhea still likely be prevalent while taking this medication, which I know if not effective against it?

Thank you in advance.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Yes, it could mask symptoms.

I answered your other question above and said you could retest 3 days after stopping therapy.  EWH

[noname2429]

Thank you for your response.  I honestly can't remember if I started the PenVK the evening before or the evening after the event.  I was having tooth pain related to an upcoming removal of a wisdom tooth and they gave me the antibiotic to help.  Regardless, if there was a gonnorhea infection (small chance I understand) would the antibiotic mask symptoms?  If so, after stopping the antibiotic, would symptoms appear and if so in what time period?  The standard 2-5 days after?  I apologize for nitpicking.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum.  I'll be happy to comment.  If you were on PenVK at the time of exposure, since more than half of gonococci in most settings are susceptible to penicillin, your risk for infection with gonorrhea from this exposure is, if anything, lower than if you were not taking the penicillin.  If anything, the penicillin might also reduce your risk for NGU as well although this is, admittedly, a guess since there are no data to answer this question.

If there are no symptoms, I really see no reason for testing however, if you choose to do so, I would suggest that you wait at least three days after your last dose to seek testing to make sure that all penicillin is out of your system and to allow tests to become positive (which I doubt will happen).

I hope this comment is helpful.  EWH