[Question #4274] Chlamydia Symptoms Persistent--Something Else?
81 months ago
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Hello Doctor(s)- thank
you for your work and attention to detail here. Has certainly been a good
resource for me, as the STD world is new for me. I am sure I speak on behalf of
everyone when I say—thank you!
Details on my
situation are below, I look forward to your feedback.
I am a 31 year old
heterosexual male. Never had an STD, in good health.
8/2 - Had unprotected
vaginal sex with Female 1.
8/6- Began
experiencing weird symptoms (discomfort in tip of penis, sensitive/swollen
testicles, minor pain while urinating)
8/7 - Received full
panel STD test
8/9 - Received test
results back, positive for Chlamydia. Everything else negative. Prescribed 1g
of Azithromycin, which was taken at 10 PM on 8/9.
8/16 - Symptoms has
mildly decreased, but still remained. Went to PCP, received finger
prick/antibody test for HIV. Negative. Received unprotected oral sex from
Female 2.
8/17 - Began taking
100g of Doxycycline, for 7 days
8/23 - Had unprotected
vaginal sex with Female 2
8/24 - Completed full
course of Doxycycline as prescribed (symptoms have subsided, yet still not
gone)
8/25 - Receive
unprotected oral sex from Female 2
8/27 - Still having
symptoms (although to a lesser extent than before) I begin my second course of
100mg of Doxycycline, for 7 days.
8/30 - Both Female 1
and Female 2 receive and take 1g of Azithromycin to ensure they are not
infected. No symptoms were shown by either.
9/3 - Completed full
course of Doxycycline as prescribed (symptoms still linger)...swollen feeling
in testicles, sensitive tip of penis, some flashes of increase urination
frequency
9/7 - Begin to develop
abdominal pain/pelvic pain
9/13 - Swollen lymph
nodes in neck, minor soreness in quadriceps, pain in both elbow regions. Received
4th Gen HIV test (blood work)...day 42 from exposure. Negative. Received
unprotected oral sex from Female 2
As of today 9/16, I
still maintain testicular discomfort that goes off and on. Still some minor
tenderness at the tip of the penis, and still occasionally have the urge to
urinate somewhat frequently. It can generally be described as feeling something
in the urethra—something that I have never experienced. I plan on having
another full panel STD test on 9/24 to confirm I do not have Chlamyda, and am
clear of all other STDs. My questions are as follows…
1. Can I assume, based on the information provided above, that I no longer have
Chlamydia?
2. Can I safely assume that
both Female 1 and Female 2 no longer have Chlamydia?
3. Based on your previous
posts, and assuming that you will state we all are negative for Chlamydia, what
would explain the symptoms I have described? Is it likely that
Urethritis/Epididymitis could develop this quickly (one week from exposure to
the date Azithromycin was originally taken) despite my quick and aggressive
treatment?
4. If the causes for my current discomfort are NOT Chlamydia, is it safe to
resume unprotected sexual activity?
5. After taking the 4th Generation HIV blood test at 6 weeks—can I
assume that I have officially been cleared of my HIV risk?
If you were me—how do you proceed from here? Obviously would like to clear up
the existing uncertainties and discomforts, and move on with my life. Thank you
very much in advance!
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
81 months ago
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2. Can I safely assume that both Female 1 and Female 2 no longer have Chlamydia?
Yes. As described above, azithromycin is highly effective for chlamydia treatment and, if anything, is more effective for women than for men. Thus if you have not re-infected them after treatment by having sex with them, and they do not have other partners, you should be in the clear. It would have been preferable for them to have been tested before they were treated.
3. Based on your previous posts, and assuming that you will state we all are negative for Chlamydia, what would explain the symptoms I have described? Is it likely that Urethritis/Epididymitis could develop this quickly (one week from exposure to the date Azithromycin was originally taken) despite my quick and aggressive treatment?
See above. Your symptoms are really not classical for ANY STI. You may have had an asymptomatic chlamydial infection (chlamydia is asymptomatic in over half of infected men) and your symptoms may have been unrelated or the result of looking hard for infection and noting otherwise normal sensations that most people tend to overlook.
4. If the causes for my current discomfort are NOT Chlamydia, is it safe to resume unprotected sexual activity?
See comment about M. genitalium above. I would suggest you continue with protected sex until you have been re-tested for chlamydia and mycoplasma genitalium.
5. After taking the 4th Generation HIV blood test at 6 weeks—can I assume that I have officially been cleared of my HIV risk?
Yes, your 6 week results are conclusive.
81 months ago
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Another question stems strictly from curiosity while investigating the infection. If Azithromycin is INEFFECTIVE in Person 1, and they pass it on to their partner (Person 2)...is it safe to assume that Person 2 will also have an INEFFECTIVE treatment from this antibiotic when it comes to the infection? That is--is the antibiotic reactive to the infection, the person, or a combination of the two? In my case, obviously I am concerned that the lackluster results of my Azithromycin treatment would then be ineffective/similar for those of someone else who I may have passed the infection on to.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
81 months ago
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81 months ago
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
81 months ago
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