QUESTION
I recently tried smoking crystal meth and it burned my mouth. Later I had unprotected sex with a guy. The next day and for a week after, I had a pain in my throat that later evolved into a pain in my ear. Is this from the crystal or the sex?

ANSWER
Anytime you have unprotected sex, especially with a new partner, you put yourself at risk of getting an STD including HIV. Having sex while high on any drug puts you more at risk for infection. It reduces your ability to make decisions which can protect you. Being high can also make you less likely to notice if your body is being hurt during rough sex. As may be true in your case, rough sex can cause you to have sores, scrapes and other irritations that could create entry points for STDs, including HIV.

I would suggest you see a medical provider for a complete STD screening. We also recommend regular screening every 3 months if you are sexually active, especially if you have more than one sex partner.

Check out Tweaker.org for more information -- it's a great resource about crystal in general, and has an entire section about crystal and sex for gay men.

To your health,
Dr. K