How to get PrEP

[VersatileBreeder]

So here's my story. I am a neg vers barebacker. I love giving loads and I love taking loads. I have been playing raw for about 3-4 years now, have had multiple partners, many one-time hook-ups, rarely use condoms. I have given many loads and taken a few. Yet, I am still neg and I want to stay that way. I am not ready to become poz and I'm not sure I ever will be ready for that.

My concern is this- I have toyed with the idea of getting on PrEP. I feel that someone in my position (which is that other people would say it is inevitable that I will one day become poz) should be on PrEP. My only issue is this: I don't know where to get a prescription for it, I don't know how to get a prescription for it and I am kind of nervous to start looking into this.

I don't really know how gay-friendly my doctors are (I see general physicians at a reputable urgent care doctor's office near me). I have a feeling that if I go in explaining that I am a regular barebacker and I want PrEP as a first line of defense to staying neg, they wouldn't do it. I think that they, instead, will start hitting me with all the safer sex talk, pushing condoms and basically giving me a high school health class lecture about STD's. I am really not interested in hearing all that.

So my question to all the guys out there on PrEP (or to anyone who knows the answer), how did you get your prescription for it? What did you tell your doctor and how would you recommend I go about it?

[GermanFucker]

I think the most important question is: Where in the world do you live?

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

Indeed. First thing I checked was profile for location.

i went to my local std clinic. They referred me to a local infectious disease doc and went from there.

[VersatileBreeder]

I think the most important question is: Where in the world do you live?

I live in Northern NJ, about 30 minutes outside NYC.

[wood]

I live in Northern NJ, about 30 minutes outside NYC.

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.

[Guest ff-whole]

Is there a reliable PrEP for sale online?

[rawTOP]

Is there a reliable PrEP for sale online?

You MUST take PrEP under a doctor's supervision. They need to monitor you for some pretty serious potential side effects. Just ask BearBandit how bad it can go when it goes wrong… He's been there.

[bearbandit]

You MUST take PrEP under a doctor's supervision. They need to monitor you for some pretty serious potential side effects. Just ask BearBandit how bad it can go when it goes wrong… He's been there.

Thanks for that rawTOP... but let's not frighten the horses, so to speak. My metabolism is pretty fucked up from earlier aids drugs and they reckon my experience was a 1 in 100,000 chance. A doctor's supervision is essential, but side effects are rare. Most of the people I know who've had side effects from tenofovir (the component of PrEP that's more liable to cause problems) didn't have the problems occur until several years into treatment. And since PrEP isn't available in the UK outside of a trial (which still needs about 160 guys to come forward, though all the trial centres are in England - this is a hint!), all I've heard/experienced with these side effects is from other people with HIV. Personally I think it's worth travelling from Scotland or Wales, or even Northern Ireland if you can afford it.

The problem is that tenofovir doesn't like kidneys very much: I've ended up pissing away vital minerals and vitamins and it doesn't look as though the damage is reversible. The onset of the kidney damage can be pretty quick. Frankly, if you found a source for truvada I'd say DO NOT take it without a doctor's supervision. And a good doctor at that: part of the reason why my health went down the pan was that my then consultant is an idiot, concerned only with CD4 counts and viral loads. One of the national newspapers did a guide to NHS consultants on their website: this guy was listed as a GUM consultant with a special interest in diseases of the vulva - at least I now know why I always left his office feeling like a cunt.

[versgeek]

Here's how I did it:

I switched insurance this year and was a bit lazy/intimidated by the process so I didn't have a doctor to go to. My insurance company's website wasn't helpful, really, so I turned to yelp. I found a list of doctors that were known for being gay friendly on yelp and then called a few to see if they took my insurance. You might even want to find a doctor that people mention is helpful with HIV related care, since that's effectively what you'e looking at.

So then I setup my appointment and asked him. He was all for it so we went ahead with it. It took about a week.

The process I've experienced so far and what is expected of me:

First you get a blood draw to test your kidney and liver functions to make sure that they're healthy to begin with. This is what took a week, to get the results.

Then you go on PrEP. It's pretty easy. My insurance covered it and I was able to use a copay assistance program with Gilead so I paid nothing out of pocket. If my insurance hadn't covered it there would have been more to the process, involving authorization from my doctor and it would have taken longer.

My doctor wants me to get an HIV test and another kidney function test in a month and meet with him to discuss how I'm tolerating the medication. Then I'll repeat that after 3 months twice. Then we'll move to a schedule of every 6 months. This monitoring is the important thing that rawTop was mentioning.

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

Same routine here. Save that monitoring is important, is pretty easy regimen.

my doc wants full STI panel every 3 months as some of them may interfere with Truvada effectiveness. Plus just a good practise.

[pisstopper]

While this won't help poptronic, it's worth noting there is a large scale Phase IV trial of PrEP going on in Los Angeles through UCLA that is recruiting hundreds of participants. It is not a double blind placebo control trial so everyone will be getting Truvada tho there is a comparison arm to the study of men who will receive PEP instead or PrEP based on their level of risk and everyone will know what they are getting.

http://chipts.ucla.edu/2013/08/14/prep-in-los-angeles/

There are multiple sites you can enroll at but the good news is free meds and regular testing without all your regular insurance co pays. Follow the link. I'm hopefully starting this week

[bblbbottom]

Thanks pisstopper for the info. I called UCLA today, and will be going in Friday to sign consents, and get my HIV test & labs. Thanks for the link. If all goes well I will be starting on Truvada a week from my labs. I will keep everyone updated on how it goes.

[kenf]

I contacted the people conducting a study in Baltimore about a month ago, and got a call back on Friday. I'm wondering several things (1) It appears that they analyze if you're high risk enough to be in the study so I'm wondering what to tell them (2) I wonder how long the study lasts and (3) I've read that some studies ask your insurance plan to contribute to the cost of medication.

[curiousaboutbb]

These are studies. How do you know you aren't getting a placebo?

[rickjamel]

Thanks pisstopper for the info. I called UCLA today, and will be going in Friday to sign consents, and get my HIV test & labs. Thanks for the link. If all goes well I will be starting on Truvada a week from my labs. I will keep everyone updated on how it goes.

I'm calling tomorrow.