Does doxyPEP prevent gonorrhoea?
Partly. In the large DoxyPEP study, doxyPEP lowered gonorrhoea by about half. For syphilis and chlamydia the drop was much bigger, more than three quarters.
In the French DOXYVAC study the effect on gonorrhoea was smaller still. The reason is the same in both: resistance.
Why gonorrhoea is harder to stop
Gonorrhoea bacteria are good at adapting. Over the years they have become resistant to one antibiotic after another. A large share of the gonorrhoea that circulates in Europe is already resistant to tetracyclines, the group of antibiotics doxycycline belongs to.
Against a resistant strain, doxyPEP simply does not do much. Against a sensitive strain it still helps. That is why the result lands at roughly half.
Where gonorrhoea hides
Gonorrhoea can infect the genitals, the throat and the anus. In the throat and the anus it often gives no symptoms at all, so you can have it without knowing.
So test every place you had sex. A urine test alone can miss gonorrhoea in the throat or anus.
How to stay protected against gonorrhoea
- Test every three months, all sites, also when you feel fine.
- Condoms give the best protection against gonorrhoea.
- Take doxyPEP on time: it still helps against the strains that are not resistant.
- Get treated quickly after a positive test, and tell recent partners.
Gonorrhoea is treated differently
DoxyPEP is not a treatment. If you have symptoms or a positive test, a doctor treats gonorrhoea with a different antibiotic, usually a single injection. Do not try to treat it with your doxyPEP tablets.
