[Question #3213] Urethra pain
91 months ago
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I had sexual contact July 15 of 2017 and have had 3 sti test all while being on antibiotics. All test have come back negative but I have been suffering with pain while urinating and urethra pain and pain at the tip of penis. It is red and irritating and wet when I wake up in the morning like drainage. It’s been over 6 months and has not gone away. I’m going in for hernia surgery and worried I might still have a bacterial infection?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
91 months ago
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Welcome to the Forum. Interpretation of STI tests taken when a person is taking antibiotics can be challenging. Could you tell me what antibiotics you were taking at the time you were tested and for what? Not all antibiotics work for all STIs.
Your symptoms- discomfort on urination, redness, and discharge from your penis are all signs of a possible STI. To sort this out, I would suggest that you see a health care provider and seek testing for the most common STIs- gonorrhea, chlamydia, and perhaps Mycoplasma genitalium and have a urinalysis performed on a urine collection collected as you begin to urinate (the STI tests can be done on the same voided urine specimen). This information, combined with examination by a trained clinician will help you to sort things out. I would urge you to seek testing and not allow your clinician to simply give you antibiotics without knowing what it is you are trying to treat- that you have had this for over six months means it is not emergent and you will be better off knowing what is being treated than guessing. If you have a regular sex partner you may also wish to have them checked as well. Sometimes infections present in one partner are more easily detected in the other.
I hope these suggestions are helpful. If you have further questions or, once you have gotten tested, you would like further comment, please feel free to use your up to two follow-up questions for clarification. EWH
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91 months ago
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I’ve been on augmetin, Doxycycline and cipro for the last two months. Still have pain? I was tested 3 times for STI’s 30,60,90 days all negative except no one ever tested Mycoplasma. Now have bilateral sores upper roof of mouth near teeth “hard tissue” was also tested at 6 months for HIV and that was negative. Dentist said it looks viral but not Hsv1 since it is bilateral. Family doctor says the antibiotics would have killed any STI I could have caught? What are you thoughts?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
91 months ago
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If you have taken those medications for more than a week continuously, the likelihood of most bacterial STI is close to zero. Trichamonas and M. genitalium remain possibilities which might be tested for. The sores on your palate are similarly not suggestive of any STI, including HSV (Herpes typically occurs on the lips and soft tissue). Further your HIV tests are definitive and nothing you describe suggests HIV.
So, what to do:
1. consider testing for M. genitalium and trichamonas using a urine specimen as suggested above. I doubt that either of these is present but I think the testing will give you peace of mind.
2. Consider other non-STI possibilities, discussing your symptoms with not only your family doctor but also possibly a rheumatologist or a urologist (I will leave this up to you and your primary care provider, it is beyond the scope of this forum).
Hope this helps. EWH
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91 months ago
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I’ve been on cipro for months would that affect the testing for mycoplasma or trichamonas? Or any other STI. I was on the other antibiotics for a month.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
91 months ago
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Cipro would have no effect on trichamonas and there is some resistance to fluroquinone antibiotics (including Cipro) in Mycoplasma genitalium. As I told you, I am quite skeptical that your symptoms are due to an STI or related to the exposure you have described and think you should probably be looking elsewhere for the cause of your symptoms.
This is my 3rd response to questions as part of this thread. Thus, as per Forum guidelines, this thread will be closed later today. EWH
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91 months ago
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What does some resistance mean? Could it effect my testing?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
91 months ago
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Resistance refers to resistance to antibiotics. Thus it is possible (but again, I emphasize, unlikely) that you could have M. genitalium. EWH
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