CHECK Magazin - Gesundheitsmagazin für Männer No.16

CHECK MAG #16
Procurement,
Provision,
Aftercare
DR. GAL GOLDSTEIN
MVZ GOLDSTEIN GMBH
Maaßenstraße 14, 10777 Berlin,
www.doctor-goldstein.com
The antibiotic doxycycline, when taken
once as a “morning after pill”, can
significantly reduce infection with bacterial
sexually trans mitted diseases such as
syphilis, gonorrhoea or chlamydia. Perfect!
But do you take it before, after or all the
time? We asked Dr. Gal Goldstein...
What is the difference between
DoxyPrEP and DoxyPEP?
DoxyPrEP usually refers to the continuous
(daily) preventive intake of 100 mg doxycycline,
regardless of whether you have sex or
not. As there is a very high risk of resistance,
this is not advisable. With DoxyPEP, 200 mg
of doxycycline is taken once after sexual
intercourse.
How should DoxyPEP be taken?
One 200 mg doxycycline tablet should be
taken immediately after sexual intercourse.
If sexual intercourse took place more than
3 days ago, DoxyPEP is no longer useful.
There is no drug interaction between the active
ingredients of DoxyPEP and HIV-PrEP, so
the combination is usually useful. In contrast
to HIV-PrEP, however, DoxyPEP is not covered
by health insurance and must be paid for by
the patient. In addition, calcium-containing
products such as milk or fitness drinks
can impair the effectiveness of DoxyPEP.
When do you recommend DoxyPEP?
DoxyPEP is useful for men who have
unprotected sex and are frequently infected
with STIs. This applies in particular to
people who have sex in groups or with
several partners in a short period of time.
It is important to note that DoxyPEP does
not offer a 100 % guarantee of protection.
And it does not affect the transmission of
gonorrhoea, HIV or mycoplasma at all.
Not everyone is convinced by
DoxyPEP. Why might that be?
On the one hand, there are side effects.
Namely, the skin can become more sensitive
to the sun, and on top of this, allergies and
diarrhoea as well as weight gain may occur.
Then there is the risk of resistance: once
chlamydia is resistant, it is difficult to treat.
All other bacteria in the intestinal and skin
flora also change due to the regular use
of antibiotics. Multi-resistance can occur,
which can lead to serious problems during
operations or other infections.
The bottom line is that DoxyPEP is
signi ficantly more problematic than
HIV-PrEP. It should therefore be used with
caution: only if several syphilis or chlamydia
infections have occurred in the last
12 months is it worth taking preventive
antibiotics. (ts)
Sexual Health46