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Living with roomates
Dear Doctor:
A month ago I moved into an apartment with a new roomate. I caught him using my toothbrush one day. I asked him not too and didnt think anything of it.
A friend of mine recently told me sharing a toothbrush may be a risk for STDs. I am especially worried Hepatitis? or HIV.
I can't be sure when I used the toothbrush after I caught my roomate using mine. It may have been minutes or it may have been a long time. I always give my toothbrush a quick rinse with water before I use it but its certainly not a good washing.
Do I need to get tested for STD/HIV/Hepatitis ? If so, how urgent should I be in getting these tests or treatment?
A month ago I moved into an apartment with a new roomate. I caught him using my toothbrush one day. I asked him not too and didnt think anything of it.
A friend of mine recently told me sharing a toothbrush may be a risk for STDs. I am especially worried Hepatitis? or HIV.
I can't be sure when I used the toothbrush after I caught my roomate using mine. It may have been minutes or it may have been a long time. I always give my toothbrush a quick rinse with water before I use it but its certainly not a good washing.
Do I need to get tested for STD/HIV/Hepatitis ? If so, how urgent should I be in getting these tests or treatment?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Technically, you should avoid sharing electric razors; conceivably there could be some risk. But if so, it is miniscule and I see no reasont to worry about it, and of course there is no risk at all unless your roommate has HBV, which seems unlikely. Most likely HBV is no longer infectious after contaminated blood or secretions dry out, but I don't think there are data to prove it one way or the other.
Your fears of contamination and infection from non-intimate contact are way beyond normal and your questions have the earmarks of someone who might need counseling about it. Or perhaps you just need to have your own place, not shared with roommates, to quell you fears. Either way, this will have to end this thread. This forum cannot help you further.
Your fears of contamination and infection from non-intimate contact are way beyond normal and your questions have the earmarks of someone who might need counseling about it. Or perhaps you just need to have your own place, not shared with roommates, to quell you fears. Either way, this will have to end this thread. This forum cannot help you further.
Doctor:
Thanks for all your useful advice. I have another short question for you.
Question: If someone used my electric razor before me am I at risk for hepatitis b (or other blood borne illnesses) even though I did not see any obvious blood on the electric razor? Would this warrant testing for hepatitis?
Finally, I know this question is variable but I am just looking for a general timeframe: how long does Hep B stay infectious / a threat outside of the body?
Thank you for all your time.
Thanks for all your useful advice. I have another short question for you.
Question: If someone used my electric razor before me am I at risk for hepatitis b (or other blood borne illnesses) even though I did not see any obvious blood on the electric razor? Would this warrant testing for hepatitis?
Finally, I know this question is variable but I am just looking for a general timeframe: how long does Hep B stay infectious / a threat outside of the body?
Thank you for all your time.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Re-read paragraph 2 of my reply above. You have no worries here. You could paint the doorknobs and sinks with blood and still be at little risk. Common sense hygiene always makes sense, but there is no rational basis for the panic you are feeling. If you cannot shake it, professional mental health care will be something to consider.
Doctor,
Ever since I talked to my friend my mind has been a state of complete chaos. I feel out of control with worry. I have decided to talk to my doctor about getting a referal [under my insurance] to see mental help. My mind has been racing for days and everytime I get a reasurring message [like the one above] my mind conjures up a new scenario.
With that said I do want to ask one more general question.
With hepatitis and HIV do I need to be worried about contact with anything if I had a bleeding cut come into contact with anything [a door knob or in my specific case the tip of a neosporin bottle] if I did not see any blood on the surface? What I mean I guess is as long as I don't see any blood am I not at risk for infection with these harmful diseases.
Thank you for your time and the work you are doing here.
Ever since I talked to my friend my mind has been a state of complete chaos. I feel out of control with worry. I have decided to talk to my doctor about getting a referal [under my insurance] to see mental help. My mind has been racing for days and everytime I get a reasurring message [like the one above] my mind conjures up a new scenario.
With that said I do want to ask one more general question.
With hepatitis and HIV do I need to be worried about contact with anything if I had a bleeding cut come into contact with anything [a door knob or in my specific case the tip of a neosporin bottle] if I did not see any blood on the surface? What I mean I guess is as long as I don't see any blood am I not at risk for infection with these harmful diseases.
Thank you for your time and the work you are doing here.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your friends are wrong. First, it seems unlikely your partner has HIV or any STD involving his mouth. (Did you ask? Of course that's a reasonable thing to ask about.)
Second, if sharing an apartment or using toothbrushes of infected people could spread HIV and other STDs, they wouldn't be classified as STDs to begin with. As the term STD suggests, you have to have sex to transmit them. No people living in the same house of people with HIV, even for several years, ever catch the infection if they aren't also sex partners, and that includes people who share bathrooms, kitchens, etc. Hepatitis B is a little more easily transmitted, but still not a serious consideration. Neither are chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, or other STDs. Sharing toothbrushes, razors, etc isn't recommended from general health perspectives, but the main reasons have to do with nonsexually transmitted infections.
Bottom line: You have no worries here. You don't need testing for any of the infections you mention.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
Second, if sharing an apartment or using toothbrushes of infected people could spread HIV and other STDs, they wouldn't be classified as STDs to begin with. As the term STD suggests, you have to have sex to transmit them. No people living in the same house of people with HIV, even for several years, ever catch the infection if they aren't also sex partners, and that includes people who share bathrooms, kitchens, etc. Hepatitis B is a little more easily transmitted, but still not a serious consideration. Neither are chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, or other STDs. Sharing toothbrushes, razors, etc isn't recommended from general health perspectives, but the main reasons have to do with nonsexually transmitted infections.
Bottom line: You have no worries here. You don't need testing for any of the infections you mention.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the STDs Forum
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