wood
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Everything posted by wood
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Some great info and perspective on this topic. http://www.frontiersla.com/mylifeonprep/story.aspx?ID=1813678
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http://www.frontiersla.com/mylifeonprep/ NOTE TO MODERATORS: I am putting this in general discussion because after reading the articles, In my opinion it is a much better fit for this area than it is for the PrEP forum, where it gives little new information. The author gives a very candid and insightful look at sex among MSM, and the reasons we behave the way we do. I really love this guys work. He is open and honest about sex without condoms like few authors I have seen. I think this kind of discussion is important because I think we all would like to see HIV eliminated, but few of us want to stop having sex, or use barrier protection methods. While most authors shy away from directly discussing "bareback" sex, this author directly discusses it, and is frank about his feelings. I also really love that he is shying away from the terms "bareback, unprotected, etc" People of all sexual identities like to have sex without barrier protection, IT IS NORMAL! IMO using words like "bareback, and unprotected" only serves to divide communities further. People who use condoms are for the most part actually in the minority, even in the gay community (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21029384) and its time to stop making people out who prefer sex without them to be a kind of deviant. At the same time, IMO everyone still needs to protect themselves in the way they see fit. As the author points out, PrEP is a good option for some, but there are other methods as well.
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http://www.thebody.com/content/73087/promiscuous-gay-nerd-what-makes-sex-good.html?getPage=1
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I have worked in public health before, and was at a conference this past week on HIV/STD's. Most counsulors get that the always wrap it up message isnt working, but in many cases they are also limited in how much they can change it. At least in the US, programs usually rely on grant money, and people want proof of what works for grant money. I could write pages on t his subject, because there are so many issues from both the patient and provider side. I have hope that things are slowly changing away "always wrap it up message" I talked one of the speakers afterwards and privately he told me while ideally it would be great to see people do it all the time, he has little hope any campaign for that would work, and he is excited about stuff like PrEP because it offers an alternative.
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Having worked in public health you cant go that far... I really with PrEP was available in the UK, because that would be a great way to talk about reducing risk, but alas its not. I would however bring up any studies you can find about PrEP, and let people know about them. Because he will be giving out advice that will be used in a widespread setting, its really not responsible to just say, sure do it, ask status try and sort, but its okay. Bearbandit, I would simply tell people that being realistic is OKAY, but people still need to protect themselves in a responsible manner. For some people that may mean condoms, for some that may mean PrEP one day, for others that may mean a trusted fuck buddy situation where they only fuck each other raw, etc, etc. However IMO the #1 most important thing is communication. People need to talk about status and get tested. People cant be afraid to get tested after a bareback experience because that can easily lead to more people getting infected.
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bring some sort of printout about PrEP, and say you are dating a poz guy, that will sidestep most of the discussion about multiple partners, etc. Its FDA approved for prevention, most doctors will comply with that.
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Dont try to understand it, it makes very little sense. But rawtop is right, and their program is how I get mine for next to nothing.
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That sounds like a good call. Mono can make you feel bad a long time. If you had a HIV- test more than 6 months out, you are fine, there is no chance you are HIV+ unless you had other exposures after that initial exposure.
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I'm not really surprised for a number of reasons. 1) most clinics, both private and publicly funded have very thin budgets they work with. They often don't have access to the newest tools. 2) Most clinics focus is based around first preventing any exposure, and then testing and then treating exposures. They also have to work within accepted models in most cases, So that means saying use a condom everytime, have less partners, get tested often, etc. PrEP while FDA approved is still very new. 3) Many still don't like the idea of PrEP. I have seen this from multiple different people who work in public heath in different ways. The biggest obstacle seems to be convincing doctors and public heath professionals that people are not looking at PrEP as a free for all for crazy sex. (look in the PrEP forum at the article I posted) Luckily I have a very open doctor I can talk too, but in my opinion some are not even giving PrEP as an option because they want people to follow the old methadology of condoms/fewer partners/abstinence. That methadology isnt bad but, it doesnt work for everyone, and I hope we see a shift to more doctors advocating PrEP.
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Are there other bottoms that like bare but not wanting pozzed?
wood replied to Dex's topic in Making The Decision To Bareback
agreed, but current research is tending to show that for a neg person, given or receiving the risk is relatively low. HCV isnt present in semen in the same way HIV is, so it shouldn't be as much of an issue. However, with rough sex, or blood contact, that has been shown to increase risk. It also seems that HIV+ men are much more likely to contract HCV than HIV- men, even if they are on treatment. Even for guys on PrEP if you are worried about STD's the best thing to do is to keep your number of sexual partners low. group sex, and places like bathhouses have always been a place to pick up infections, and that's not going to change. All the doctors I have talked to about HCV sexual transmission have told me the same thing, regular unprotected sex is fairly low risk for transmission. However, toys, fisting, lack of lube, extremely rough sex, will all increase the risk level. -
After working at a clinic, and doings hundreds of hours of research on the subject, I agree with this 100%. Truvada's toxicity isnt any higher or lower for HIV- vs HIV+ people, however, the wild card there is HIV itself. As Bearbandit points out, HIV starts causing damage from the moment of seroconversion. It was initially thought that it was okay to wait to start treatment, Now however most recommend starting treatment asap to reduce potential damage as much as possible. This is also why I am a huge proponent of PrEP. Its MUCH easier for the body of a healthy HIV- person to deal with medication, and healing than it is for that of an HIV+ person. Almost all medications are toxic to some extent. Bearbandit and I have had many conversations about this because of his experience with tenofovir, one of the components of Truvada. Statistically however Truvada is fairly benign in its toxicity and side effects, especially when compared to some earlier HIV meds, but also in comparison to some everyday medications like blood pressure meds, and even acetomenophin/paracetamol. (the last one is responsible for more liver failure than any other drug in the US)
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Are there other bottoms that like bare but not wanting pozzed?
wood replied to Dex's topic in Making The Decision To Bareback
Why not get on PrEP? yes undetectable guys are less risk, but with PrEP you could have fun and almost eliminate your risk. -
http://www.thebody.com/content/73034/for-gay-men-hiv-prep-and-sexual-risk-are-not-neces.html http://www.natap.org/2013/HIV/083013_02.htm This comes as no surprise to me. I had a hunch that the whole idea that PrEP was going to cause a lot of extra risky sexual activity was a farce. This also underscores the important of drug education. Drugs have long been a part of gay male life, but the community really needs to get it under control. PrEP can help avoid HIV, but long term addiction is just as much of a killer. I know more than a few people that are addicted to Crystal Meth. One is a former med student who this year was diagnosed with HIV and HCV because of his meth addiction. I hope studies like this silence some of the Anti PrEP crowd. To me it seems like people think that because you are on PrEP, they assume you have tons of random sex, and just want to stay neg. Many people on PrEP are just like me, In normal dating and relations they make mistake sometimes, and want extra protection.
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Viagra/ED pills without a script
wood replied to DeepThrtBoi's topic in HIV/AIDS & Sexual Health Issues
you have to know what you are looking for. For example if you are looking for genuine pfizer viagra and you find it dirt cheap, its probably fake. But if you look for Cipla's, suhagra, or silagra, you will probably get a real medication. Not all makers are reputable, but Cipla is a world class drug manufacturer than can be trusted. A quick google search found this. India's drug laws allow them to make pretty much whatever they want. But unlike say the chinese, they wont make a fake copy of the real thing, they will just give you a generic thats just as effective but has their own name. http://www.alldaychemist.com/men-s-health.html Looks to be decent pricing. -
honestly I doubt its the PrEP causing your issues. About a year ago when taking no medication I got the shits for about a week and half before I went to my doctor. I felt great, just had the shits. They informed me that there was a really contagious virus going around that caused it, and that's likely what it was. Sure enough they went away on their own a bout a week later. Gastrointestinal bugs are pretty common, and given the timing, it doesnt make sense that PrEP caused it. If that was the case you probably would have seen it within the first few days. congrats on being in the study and make sure you take it at the same time everyday and don't miss a dose!
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Heres my problem with the drug trials, While IMO they convey accurate scientific data, they dont always convey accurate data about general populations trends. For example in the iPrEX study as you said 80% of people didnt take the drug correctly. I want to know what is the reason for that, and is that aproblem that would occur in the broader population. Having worked with people who do investigational research, IMO the answer is no. The people that get recruited for drug trials unfortately tend to be from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and often have other life complications, such as housing problems, other health issues, or substance abuse problems. This is simply because people don't want to be guinea pigs unless paid, and the pay is low, so they get people that need low amount of money, sometimes for basis subsistence. I agree that cheaper drugs, and possibly once a week medications should be investigated for PrEP, but I dont think that should delay the introduction of PrEP on a wider audience now. Also i hold a view that is probably widely unpopular here, but i will say it anyway. Testing should be mandatory in all populations, hell in the US tie it to paying your taxes. Starting at about age 12, probably doing it at schools, they gradually moving it up to workplace locations. the reason I say this is because people need to know whether they like it or not. People need to know their status. This is the most basic rule in preventing any type of infection. After that people need to take the proper precautions. As you say for HIV+ populations, that's TASP. The studies are there. Anyone who tests positive should go on medication ASAP, and not wait for higher viral loads, or decreased T-cell counts, the sooner they get the viral load to almost nothing the less risk they are to others. For negative populations it means regular tests, condoms, education, and PrEP for high risk groups.
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Are there other bottoms that like bare but not wanting pozzed?
wood replied to Dex's topic in Making The Decision To Bareback
Because people have sex with more than one person, and unless each guy was willing to wait the 3-6 month window period after getting tested to have sex, then its not really possible. Heres the one thing I will say to all the guys in here who are neg, and want to stay that way. GO TO YOUR DOCTOR TODAY AND GET ON PrEP Gilead has an assistance program to deal with the cost, and its is covered by most insurance because its FDA approved for HIV prevention. For those unfamilier with PrEP, visit the forum on here that talks about it. The short synopsis of it, IS you take Truvada, an HIV medication everyday, despite being negative. When you are exposed to the virus, it cant replicate in your body because of the medication, it dies off, and you don't become infected. When taken correctly everyday, studies have shown it has up to a 99% effectiveness in preventing HIV infection, even when exposed by something like bareback sex with a HIV+ person. The simple fact is that studies shown between 1 in 5, and 2 in 5 gay men in the US are HIV+ If you are playing bare, or only using condoms sometimes, there is a good chance you will become positive, even if you "serosort" or only play with "neg" gays. I use quotations because many guys dont know, or go long periods of time between tests. As of right now PrEP is the ONLY other option for NEG people trying to help stay that way besides condoms and abstinence. Links for reading.. http://www.truvadapreprems.com/# http://www.gilead.com/responsibility/us-patient-access/truvada%20for%20prep%20medication%20assistance%20program http://www.out.com/news-opinion/2013/09/09/hiv-prevention-new-condom-truvada-pill-prep http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/10/the-battle-over-truvada-and-the-first-treatment-to-prevent-hiv.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidevans/prep-should-be-a-fast-ide_b_4025263.html -
I ask because its about communication, and seeing who if anyone has updated info. There is nothing wrong with asking.
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It would only increase costs in the short term, it the long term it would reduce healthcare burden. Im well aware that there is not specific study like that, It would take years of research to compile reasonably accurate data. What is known is that when taken correctly PrEP is up to 99% effective.
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Oh I fully agree, Im just saying its a cheaper alternative, but everyone should still get every three month checkups.
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Viagra/ED pills without a script
wood replied to DeepThrtBoi's topic in HIV/AIDS & Sexual Health Issues
Exactly. Also ED can also be a very mental thing. So while you may get a raging hardon when at home jerking off, nervousness prevents it when with another person. That has happened to me before. -
This is sort of what I was thinking. Many of the new cases of infection in Russia are among injection drug users, which are almost certain to already have a compromised immune system before HIV. It wouldn't surprise me if that was one of the major reasons for the subtypes virulence.
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honestly unless you are not having sex at all, dont wait. Go to a doctor, get a script, and go to an online pharmacy and start it. I posted links in this forum on the cost topic.
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Sent you a PM with some info. My broader throughts on PrEP are all over here, but I will summarize them. PrEP is NOT a license to do whatever you want and never get sick or get HIV. However, it is IMO the best thing to come out to prevent HIV infection since the epidemic began. I say this because abstinence is not realistic, and neither is 100% condom use. IMO any sexually active gay man should be on PrEP right now unless they have a medical reason not to be, or they have never had any unprotected intercourse. That's a drastic line that I don't think a lot of guys in here would say, but it is my stance on the topic. The reason I say this is because people are now picking and choosing protection, with the mentality its okay to go raw with some guys but not others. Studies show that overtime that provides almost no protection against HIV, its just luck of the draw. I think that If more people were on PrEP, and used it correctly we would finally see a drop in the rate of new HIV infections, which have stagnated over the past 10 years. As far as adherence is concerned its damn easy for me. I keep an alarm set everyday on my phone at a time when I'm always up, and almost always have the medication on me. Ideally I also would like to see a weekly option, or even monthly (maybe a shot or implant) But I don't think that's occurring anytime soon. If cost is an issue for you with PrEP, I would recommend using an online pharmacy and looking for Cipla's "tenvir-em" Cipla is the only other pharma company licensed to make Truvada, but Cipla's generic version can be found for about $400 for a six month supply online. I posted several links in the PrEP cost discussion.
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Always a good thing to keep learning!
