STI Clinics in Ireland (list in first post updated 10/08/2010)

bunnymunro · 31-01-2011 6:35pm

hi guys just a quick question or two..probably going to head to charter medical centre in smithfield just a few questions..got a call from a girl iv slept with who informed me she had chlamydia..foolishly we had unprotected sex ..i know i know but anyway this is where i am..first time we slept togehter was over 2 months ago..only happened 3 times but assume chances are i have contracted it ..just wondering i have read its possible to take just one pill to clear it up as opposed to a week long coarse of anti-biotics..can anyone confirm this...i have my best mates wedding this weekend and dont wanna explain why im not drinking if im on the week long coarse...the mater dont have any free appointments till the 21st..would i be just as well off to visit my gp cost wise ..will a gp still cover everything?

Uriel. · 01-02-2011 10:54am

bunnymunro wrote: »

hi guys just a quick question or two..probably going to head to charter medical centre in smithfield just a few questions..got a call from a girl iv slept with who informed me she had chlamydia..foolishly we had unprotected sex ..i know i know but anyway this is where i am..first time we slept togehter was over 2 months ago..only happened 3 times but assume chances are i have contracted it ..just wondering i have read its possible to take just one pill to clear it up as opposed to a week long coarse of anti-biotics..can anyone confirm this...i have my best mates wedding this weekend and dont wanna explain why im not drinking if im on the week long coarse...the mater dont have any free appointments till the 21st..would i be just as well off to visit my gp cost wise ..will a gp still cover everything?

I' advice you to go an STI clinic. You had unprotected sex with an individual who has been proven to have an STI - suggesting that unprotected sex might be common place for this person.

Have you any symptoms? if not, wait an extra few weeks and get a full STI screening 12 weeks from the time of your sexual encounter. Results for all potential infections (including HIV) will be conclusive at that time.

As regards Chlamydia treatment, a 7 day course of antibiotics or once off course are available. Both are effective, usually the once off course is a bit more expensive.

LegacyUser · 01-02-2011 7:33pm

Just wondering what questions do they ask you in the clinic? I know that they go through your sexual history but what specific questions will they ask?

LegacyUser · 02-02-2011 6:03am

Questions you'll be asked.

- Why are you here ?
- Heterosexual ?
- When did the encounter occur
- Professional girl ?
- Anal ?

That's pretty much it i guess.

For the guy who slept with the girl who has Chlymidiya above. Just ask for Zithromax/Azithromyicin tabletes. You take 1mg (2 tablets or 4 depending on quantity int them) and you'll be sorted. No reason to be taking antibiotics as you said. I duno why they are not available over the country like alot of countries. Probably a rip in ireland but Chlm is silent so you may never have symptom's so best to check. The check for that is a Urine Test only, can get results immediately depending on the place.

bunnymunro · 03-02-2011 1:47am

hey guys thanks for the advice...went to charter medical very professional...just curious..told the nurse my situation answered questions..etc all she did was take blood and urine sample..she gave me the above mentioned pills there and then..have to go back in two weeks for follow up..assume this is because in all probability test will more than likely turn up positive ..just wondering is this the normal procedure..to be honest was relieved about no swabs being taken but wondering will the urine and blood tests cover everything..it was the full screening and just wanna make sure i got everything covered..also i know this is gonna sound bit silly but are the pills 100 percent effective..assuming obviously i should abstain until the two week follow up ..

LegacyUser · 03-02-2011 4:20am

I guess the reasoning why you got the pills there and then is because the girl you slept with actually has it and you had unprotected sex so its highly probable you got it.

HIV, Syphillis tests are 95% accurate after 6 weeks. It takes 3 months for 100% but most doctors dont think retesting is necessary if negative after 6 weeks. The odds of getting HIV from a one time encounter for female to male transmission is very low (1/1000) so wouldnt worry about this.

Hmmm I got a swab on a screen I went for one time, I'm not sure what for considering Gonhorrea and NGU can be found in Urine.

If you got zithromax in a 1mg does it will be 100% effective. The followup is only necessary if your test came back positive, if it did you'll just have to do a urine test to make sure it's gone.

you should read www.medhelp.org in the expert forum. Alot of information from real doctors in there with common questions people have.

jamielmk · 21-02-2011 1:45pm

hi just looking for information on the standard test done here in ireland particularly limerick would it be a 4th generation elisa test or 3rd generation, im going for an std test to my GP and would like to know if this test is available here and is a duo test available. would i have to ask my gp for a duo test and would i be able to get one

thanks

WPJ33 · 08-03-2011 5:18pm

I found www.everymancentre.ie fairly informative, but not sure about the pricing. €100 for full screening expensive?

Uriel. · 09-03-2011 11:19am

jamielmk wrote: »

hi just looking for information on the standard test done here in ireland particularly limerick would it be a 4th generation elisa test or 3rd generation, im going for an std test to my GP and would like to know if this test is available here and is a duo test available. would i have to ask my gp for a duo test and would i be able to get one

thanks

You would need to ring the specific clinic to discuss the type of tests that they use. You can however rest assured that the most modern HIV diagnostic tests are available here in Ireland and you don't need to worry about testing here. IN fact, up to at least 2 years ago, ELISA test kits for use in clinics were manufactured in Wicklow (can't remember the name of the company now - for some reason Emerald comes to mind but I am not 100% sure on that). These were exported to the US. So that tells it's own story.

To be honest 3rd of 4th Generation really isn't a big deal, the approved window period remains 3 months, even though 4th generation tests appear to pick up infections in a shorter time frame.

Yes you can get duo tests here, but not all clinics use them and none that I am aware of use them as standard.

I would recommend that you consider going to an STI clinic directly for testing rather than through your GP. STI clinics provide anonymous testing (through a GP the test and results will most likely be on your medical record). Also, STI clinics are much better equipped to deal with any issues that arise and even in the event of negative tests can provide expert follow up in terms of questions like the ones you have asked here.

Uriel. · 09-03-2011 11:20am

WPJ33 wrote: »

I found www.everymancentre.ie fairly informative, but not sure about the pricing. €100 for full screening expensive?

That is not a bad price in a private clinic context.

The Going rate for full screening is often €150 - €200.

irishh_bob · 10-03-2011 11:38pm

never posted on this forum before but i thought perhaps someone could help me

anyway , last satuday night , i met a girl , anyway , the usual followed , protection was used in terms of intercourse but not anything else , monday morning , i noticed i had a sore on the back of my mouth and a smaller red spot on my tongue , i done some research on the net about herpes and the time period between when i slept with this girl and theese symptoms appeared seems quite short, the body website mentioned it could take weeks for symptoms to show up , dont feel sick or anyway off otherwise

Uriel. · 11-03-2011 12:20am

irishh_bob wrote: »

never posted on this forum before but i thought perhaps someone could help me

anyway , last satuday night , i met a girl , anyway , the usual followed , protection was used in terms of intercourse but not anything else , monday morning , i noticed i had a sore on the back of my mouth and a smaller red spot on my tongue , i done some research on the net about herpes and the time period between when i slept with this girl and theese symptoms appeared seems quite short, the body website mentioned it could take weeks for symptoms to show up , dont feel sick or anyway off otherwise

Herpes wouldn't show up the next morning. It takes about 7 to 14 days to show uo but could take up to 21 days.

No STI shows symptoms so quickly. It doesn't sound like a typical herpes outbreak either to be honest. I wouldn't worry too much about your symptoms, they are just irritation or symptoms of something unrelated to your sexual encounter. Keep an eye out certainly from day 5 to about day 28 following sex for any potential symptoms, but don't go over analysing things either

irishh_bob · 11-03-2011 11:49am

Uriel. wrote: »

Herpes wouldn't show up the next morning. It takes about 7 to 14 days to show uo but could take up to 21 days.

No STI shows symptoms so quickly. It doesn't sound like a typical herpes outbreak either to be honest. I wouldn't worry too much about your symptoms, they are just irritation or symptoms of something unrelated to your sexual encounter. Keep an eye out certainly from day 5 to about day 28 following sex for any potential symptoms, but don't go over analysing things either

thanks for your quick reply

perhaps its not herpes but something else , i also have two small spots on my lips , forgive me if im being graphic , i didnt actually perform oral on her but she did on me (unprotected ) and we kissed afterwards , could this have resulted in anything in terms of red cuts in the lips or mouth

LegacyUser · 11-03-2011 1:06pm

irishh_bob wrote: »

thanks for your quick reply

perhaps its not herpes but something else , i also have two small spots on my lips , forgive me if im being graphic , i didnt actually perform oral on her but she did on me (unprotected ) and we kissed afterwards , could this have resulted in anything in terms of red cuts in the lips or mouth

Oral HSV-1 can be transmitted by just kissing and can be transmitted to the genitals through oral sex but the chances are 50/50 that you already had the virus before this encounter anyway! Some people are lucky and never get coldsore outbreaks and others are not so lucky with several bad outbreaks per year.

Don't worry too much about it, anxiety will cause more symptoms than anything - I recently had a scare and I swear every symptom Google told me about I later acquired - only to get 100% negative results later.

Get tested for everything anyway, ask them to include herpes if you are concerned (it's often not part of the standard screening) and you will feel much better after getting a clean sweep of negative results. I recommend private if you can afford it - you will be in and out in 20 mins with results in 5 days.

Uriel. · 11-03-2011 1:26pm

itsasecret123 wrote: »

Oral HSV-1 can be transmitted by just kissing and can be transmitted to the genitals through oral sex but the chances are 50/50 that you already had the virus before this encounter anyway! Some people are lucky and never get coldsore outbreaks and others are not so lucky with several bad outbreaks per year.

Don't worry too much about it, anxiety will cause more symptoms than anything - I recently had a scare and I swear every symptom Google told me about I later acquired - only to get 100% negative results later.

Get tested for everything anyway, ask them to include herpes if you are concerned (it's often not part of the standard screening) and you will feel much better after getting a clean sweep of negative results. I recommend private if you can afford it - you will be in and out in 20 mins with results in 5 days.

It is more like an 80/20 chance of HSV-1. Either way the symptoms described by the poster are not related to any STI that could have been transmitted during the sexual encounter in question. Symptoms don't show up like that In a matter of hours.

There is no widespread HSV testing available in Ireland. "herpes select" tests (blood drawn) are not provided in a clinic I am aware of and although potentially a special request for one might be considered, they certainly are not part of any standard screening in this country. A number of clinics in London are the closest available.

Irishh_Bob - you don't have an awful lot to worry about here, HSV-1 in the mouth is extremely common and theres a high chance you have had it since you were a child - HSV-2, associated with the genitals normally, usually doesn't cause huge effects orally after initial outbreaks. But importantly here, your concern is essentially transmitting HSV 1 or 2 from your own genitals to your mouth via a third party. This is not a concern after a short period of time of an infection, your body builds uo a resistance and transfer to other parts of the body is extremely rare after this period.

By all means monitor your symptoms, like you would do for any unusual occurrences in/on your body. But whatever is at play it Is not any STI relating to this sexual encounter

irishh_bob · 11-03-2011 5:07pm

itsasecret123 wrote: »

Oral HSV-1 can be transmitted by just kissing and can be transmitted to the genitals through oral sex but the chances are 50/50 that you already had the virus before this encounter anyway! Some people are lucky and never get coldsore outbreaks and others are not so lucky with several bad outbreaks per year.

Don't worry too much about it, anxiety will cause more symptoms than anything - I recently had a scare and I swear every symptom Google told me about I later acquired - only to get 100% negative results later.

Get tested for everything anyway, ask them to include herpes if you are concerned (it's often not part of the standard screening) and you will feel much better after getting a clean sweep of negative results. I recommend private if you can afford it - you will be in and out in 20 mins with results in 5 days.

wouldnt i need to wait three months before tests were credible

LegacyUser · 21-03-2011 1:43pm

Hi all, I have been goin through this thread and i see there are many convo's re GW. Unfortunately, I think I may have got them, I found a larger flesh coloured bump surrounded by a cluster of 3/4 other smaller bumps last nite

. Needless to say I am totally mortified....something I thought I would never contract as I havent had full intercourse with anyone - looks like that wont change having these dirty things now either. Shows that even just fooling around without protection is so stupid and I feel like such a fool. Feel like such a tramp and only have been active albeit not fully with two partners over the previous 4 years....also giving away that yes I am a virgin at this age. so yano this is one of the last things I taut I would get, anyhoooow...

Enough of the self pity, I need to face the facts. From this thread it seems that WW centre and GPs are not highly recommended. I think I will make and appointment with Freedman in Ranelagh today....does anyone know what the procedure is with this...will he diagnose on inspection and treat on the same day? or will I be tested and have to return once I get the official results to say they are GW? Also would the cost of the €160 typically cover the inital consultation and the treatment?

I assume the return for treatment would be an extra cost....if so would anyone have any idea how much? I also have VHI Healthcare, so would hope this would cover the cost.

Feel so disgusted and disappointed in myself. Any advice very much appreciated

Thanks

LegacyUser · 22-03-2011 3:43am

My girlfriend thinks she may have an STI, she has found bumps on her vagina which she hasnt seen before. It sounds like Syphilis tbh. She has also had bleeding in between periods but that could also be a side effect of recently taking the morning after pill. Thoughts?

We are looking to get it looked at but shes in school, Is there any doctor that opens late on a Friday or the weekend where we could go in discretely without the parents knowing? (The STI clinic in limerick is mon to fri, I think)

Also would we be able to use her medical card in a random GP in the city center to get it looked at free?

Morag · 22-03-2011 10:10am

lolabolobas87 you need to get a dr to examine you.

ConcernedBF she'd be best seeing her own dr, who has to keep patient and dr confidentiality. If she has and STI then you needed to be test and treated as well.

LegacyUser · 22-03-2011 5:49pm

I know she should go to her own GP but its in a small rural community and she cant get away with going to the doctors without her mam knowing. So if we go in the city we can keep it confidential. I'm just wondering will the medical card allow her to get it checked free by a GP in town?
If not we can always go to the STI clinic in Limerick over her easter break.

MASTER...of the bra · 23-03-2011 12:52am

ConcernedBF wrote: »

I know she should go to her own GP but its in a small rural community and she cant get away with going to the doctors without her mam knowing. So if we go in the city we can keep it confidential. I'm just wondering will the medical card allow her to get it checked free by a GP in town?
If not we can always go to the STI clinic in Limerick over her easter break.

It's at the other doctors discretion. Some will, some won't. Pick one and give them a ring is the only way to know.

Consider getting yourself checked also.

LegacyUser · 23-03-2011 1:23am

I know I should get checked but she was my first so if she passes the test I will too!

And I thought that medical card gave free health care no?

Uriel. · 23-03-2011 12:31pm

ConcernedBF wrote: »

I know I should get checked but she was my first so if she passes the test I will too!

And I thought that medical card gave free health care no?

Was she a virgin also?

Syphilis is highly highly unlikely.

Could be HSV or HPV or something completely non-relates to an STI.

My advice would be to attend your nearest public GUM clinic and have the symptoms checked by a specialist. GUM clinics are confidential and anonymous in terms of medical history. Going to a GP, especially your local will see any checkup, diagnosis and treatment going onto her medical record.

Morag · 23-03-2011 12:42pm

ConcernedBF wrote: »

I know I should get checked but she was my first so if she passes the test I will too!

And I thought that medical card gave free health care no?

Yes but only with a dr the card is registered with.
She can try see a different dr but that results in a heap of paper work for that dr to try and claim as their name is not attached to that medical card.

LegacyUser · 09-04-2011 3:25pm

hi, me and my friends were talking recently about stis and stuff like that and i dont think i have any, never showed any symptoms anyway but someone said something that made me wonder. i know this shows my lack of education on the issue but anyway, about 2 months ago i was out with my friends in a pub and when i was going to the toilet it felt like i really needed to go but couldnt and it was kinda painfull, a kind of sharp pain. i though it might be a kidney thing, which has happened before, but one of my friends recently said that this was what happens with syphilis. if i had an sti would the symptoms be a constant thing or can it come and go. that pain hasnt happened since

MASTER...of the bra · 10-04-2011 12:10am

totallyunsure wrote: »

hi, me and my friends were talking recently about stis and stuff like that and i dont think i have any, never showed any symptoms anyway but someone said something that made me wonder. i know this shows my lack of education on the issue but anyway, about 2 months ago i was out with my friends in a pub and when i was going to the toilet it felt like i really needed to go but couldnt and it was kinda painfull, a kind of sharp pain. i though it might be a kidney thing, which has happened before, but one of my friends recently said that this was what happens with syphilis. if i had an sti would the symptoms be a constant thing or can it come and go. that pain hasnt happened since

You can be symptom free for years with any of the STIs and there are complications if left untreated, you've being worried bout this for two months so just bite the bullet and get checked.

Don't look them up just go.

Everyone should get tested every few years if not in a trusting relationship.

LegacyUser · 03-05-2011 9:57pm

hi,

apologies if this has been asked already (i havent read the whole thread as its huge) but do many local GPs do sti testing? i like my gp, and i'd like to keep with him solely until he retires or such, so i was wondering if i could do this through him?

I live in the louth/meath area.

Also, i have a medical card, is there any possibility this would cover the costs of such testing?

again sorry if this has been asked already and thanks in advance to anyone who may reply to assist me.

Uriel. · 04-05-2011 8:28am

doughnutmonster wrote: »

hi,

apologies if this has been asked already (i havent read the whole thread as its huge) but do many local GPs do sti testing? i like my gp, and i'd like to keep with him solely until he retires or such, so i was wondering if i could do this through him?

I live in the louth/meath area.

Also, i have a medical card, is there any possibility this would cover the costs of such testing?

again sorry if this has been asked already and thanks in advance to anyone who may reply to assist me.

Hey,

Most GPs can draw the blood, do the urine and swab tests etc... Blood samples would be sent to the lab for testing.

Generally, you will need to pay for the service though even if a medical card holder (unless you have symptoms) but it may depend on your relationship with the GP and the GP themselves

However, while I appreciate you want your health management handled by a familiar face I strongly advise that you attend a GUM clinic for testing. For two reasons - 1. They are the specialists, GP knowledge on STIs is hit and miss IME, and if something is discovered, you can get specialist care immediately 2. Attending a GP means that your testing will be part of your medical record, whereas GUM clinics offer anonymous testing. Having, even negative STI testing on your medical record can affect things like health insurance, mortgage assurance etc in the future

Think carefully about it

Best of luck

Edit: the GUM clinic in St James hospital is a free STI testing and treatment clinic. It is called the Guide clinic

LegacyUser · 05-05-2011 11:21am

Hi Everyone,

Trying to read through all the info but there's so many pages!! just wondering, does anyone have any personal experience in the clinics in limerick?? As far as i can see there are 3 of them, but have no idea what they're like and all ready nervous enough about going in that im hoping someone can put me at ease here!! also im assuming that there are no free clinics in limerick??

Thanks in advance, any info is really appreciated!! :-)

Mr. Loverman · 07-05-2011 10:37pm

Uriel. wrote: »

GUM clinics offer anonymous testing

St. James' service isn't anonymous by default, so make sure you state you want to be anonymous or give a fake name and DOB.

STI Clinics in Ireland (list in first post updated 10/08/2010)

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