Aa
Syphilis Reassurance
I had an oral sex encounter with a csw in late July that involved deep kissing. The day after, I freaked out and went to the clinic where I was tested and at my request given preventative drugs. The doctor had a very heavy accent and there were definite communication issues. I was give 1 gm of zithromax, 250 mg of rocephin, and 2.4 mu of bicillin. Fast forward three weeks. I get a terrible sore in my mouth, the throught of syphilis crosses my mind, but I figured I am safe. A couple of months after that I get numerous other sores in my mouth and what seems like a rash on my back side, so I get nervous that I am possibly resistant to the drugs and get a RPR test at 105 days after the encounter which was negative. A week after the test I got to sores on my lip that look like the mucous spots of secondary syphilis although they feel similar to canker sore (but I never had on my lip before only in my mouth)
In doing research I learned a couple of things that make nervous.
1) RPR test is far from perfect (it only picks up 74-86 percent of primary syphilis) and the prozone effect is possible for secondary syphilis
2) Few if any health organizations give a window period for syphilis
3) Zithromax resistant syphilis is not uncommon
*Most importantly there was some confusion with the clinic if I was supposed to come back, the nurse told me she thought I needed to come back but I told her the doc told me I didn’t. I further read that the Penicillin should be one in each buttocks, I had one single shot of the buttock, making me think the therapy was not complete and maybe half the dose was given to me (1.2 mu)
Questions are
1) Is the rpr test reliable at the point I took it, if not is there another test I should take?
2) Even if half the dose of penicillin was given to me is that enough to cure incubating syphilis?
3) Is 250 mg Rocephin been proven to cure incubating syphilis? If it is why didn’t they just use that for preventative measure instead of penicillin?
In doing research I learned a couple of things that make nervous.
1) RPR test is far from perfect (it only picks up 74-86 percent of primary syphilis) and the prozone effect is possible for secondary syphilis
2) Few if any health organizations give a window period for syphilis
3) Zithromax resistant syphilis is not uncommon
*Most importantly there was some confusion with the clinic if I was supposed to come back, the nurse told me she thought I needed to come back but I told her the doc told me I didn’t. I further read that the Penicillin should be one in each buttocks, I had one single shot of the buttock, making me think the therapy was not complete and maybe half the dose was given to me (1.2 mu)
Questions are
1) Is the rpr test reliable at the point I took it, if not is there another test I should take?
2) Even if half the dose of penicillin was given to me is that enough to cure incubating syphilis?
3) Is 250 mg Rocephin been proven to cure incubating syphilis? If it is why didn’t they just use that for preventative measure instead of penicillin?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1) Both methods are common and they are equally effective.
2) Yes, a test at that time is definitive.
I'm afraid you're just going to have to accept the apparently difficult truth that there is no chance you have syphilis and that something else is the cause of your oral sore. Period, full stop, no point in further discussion. Let it go.
This thread is over.
2) Yes, a test at that time is definitive.
I'm afraid you're just going to have to accept the apparently difficult truth that there is no chance you have syphilis and that something else is the cause of your oral sore. Period, full stop, no point in further discussion. Let it go.
This thread is over.
1. is 2.4 MU of Biciillin normally given in one shot (rather then two, one in each buttock)?
2. Even if I was not treated would be 105 day (15 week) rpr be definitive evidence of not being infected.....I know with Hiv test results trump all symptoms is that the same with syphilis/
Thank You
2. Even if I was not treated would be 105 day (15 week) rpr be definitive evidence of not being infected.....I know with Hiv test results trump all symptoms is that the same with syphilis/
Thank You
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
First, you need to understand you had a low risk encounter with respect to all STDs, and virtually zero risk for syphilis. My guess is you had to talk your doctor into treating you with all those antibiotics. However, having had them, it is absolutely impossible you now have syphilis; even if you had been exposed add an infection had been starting, any one of them alone -- bicillin, ceftriaxone (Rocephin), or azithromycin would have cured it. It is true that azithro is only about 90% reliable because some strains are resistant -- but bicillin and cefriaxone are each 100% reliable. Whatever the causes of the symptoms you have had, they are not from syphilis from the event described. Had you asked my advice, I would have recommended against syphilis testing -- that is, the clinic doctor was correct and the nurse mistaken. To your specific questions:
1) The negative test is meaningless, except to confirm you didn't catch syphilis. In theory, you could have been infected and then cured -- but you'll never know for sure. There are no other tests available to judge it.
2) You had a full dose of bicillin; 2.4 mllion units is the stnadard syphilis dose.
3) Yes, ceftriaxone has been studied and is effective.
So don't worry about syphilis. You didn't need all that treatment to start with, but in any case it is impossible you have syphilis now. Don't worry about it.
Regards-- HHH, MD
First, you need to understand you had a low risk encounter with respect to all STDs, and virtually zero risk for syphilis. My guess is you had to talk your doctor into treating you with all those antibiotics. However, having had them, it is absolutely impossible you now have syphilis; even if you had been exposed add an infection had been starting, any one of them alone -- bicillin, ceftriaxone (Rocephin), or azithromycin would have cured it. It is true that azithro is only about 90% reliable because some strains are resistant -- but bicillin and cefriaxone are each 100% reliable. Whatever the causes of the symptoms you have had, they are not from syphilis from the event described. Had you asked my advice, I would have recommended against syphilis testing -- that is, the clinic doctor was correct and the nurse mistaken. To your specific questions:
1) The negative test is meaningless, except to confirm you didn't catch syphilis. In theory, you could have been infected and then cured -- but you'll never know for sure. There are no other tests available to judge it.
2) You had a full dose of bicillin; 2.4 mllion units is the stnadard syphilis dose.
3) Yes, ceftriaxone has been studied and is effective.
So don't worry about syphilis. You didn't need all that treatment to start with, but in any case it is impossible you have syphilis now. Don't worry about it.
Regards-- HHH, MD
just to clarify the sore I have now is on the top backside of my lip...
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
