Is PrEP for me?

[Guest kazore]

I'm thinking about PreEP. But the thing is I can have long periods without having sex. I know that chances to get HIV while i'm non sexually active is near 0. I'm not a porn star, I don't work for Lucas Entertainment so I'm thinking that there no point for me to take a very strong medicine during a period of sexual inactivity. When I'm more active I could take the drug, but I kinda know what the doctor would tell me that the drug is not a recreational drug that we take only when we have sex... What do you think?

[Cheshire_Cub]

I'm just going on a UK PrEP study, the thing is it only works if taken properly daily and isn't really effective when you start taking for the first two weeks, bit like the pill for women !!!

I'd advise taking it daily with a vitamin tablet and then you're covered just incase you get lucky xxx

[rawfuckr]

You don't have to take PrEP if you are 100% not having condomless sex. The current start/stopping official protocol is the following:

1) You take PrEP for 7 days to be fully protected. Some people say 2 weeks, but the doctors that run iPrEX say 7 days should give ample margin and drug buildup in the body.

2) You have sex during whatever period you may want.

3) Whenever you decide to stop PrEP you must keep taking it for 4 weeks AFTER the last unsafe encounter. Any sort of unsafe encounter resets the clock for 4 more weeks. If you just want to do 2 weeks, you can do a PCR HIV test after 2 weeks and if it comes back negative you can stop then.

Definitely no need to be on it if you are not having sex.

[wood]

You don't have to take PrEP if you are 100% not having condomless sex. The current start/stopping official protocol is the following:

1) You take PrEP for 7 days to be fully protected. Some people say 2 weeks, but the doctors that run iPrEX say 7 days should give ample margin and drug buildup in the body.

2) You have sex during whatever period you may want.

3) Whenever you decide to stop PrEP you must keep taking it for 4 weeks AFTER the last unsafe encounter. Any sort of unsafe encounter resets the clock for 4 more weeks. If you just want to do 2 weeks, you can do a PCR HIV test after 2 weeks and if it comes back negative you can stop then.

Definitely no need to be on it if you are not having sex.

bingo. If I knew I wasnt going to have sex for a few months I may go off it, but in general I am going to stay on it. Right now, dating a poz undetectable guy, its smart to be on it. Right now I dont see myself going off it anytime soon.

Also while Truvada is a strong medication, its side effect profile is very low. Infact its significantly lower than many everyday medications including cholesterol drugs. tylenol, and every everyday drugs. Acetaminophen for example is MUCH more dangerous than Truvada.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/16/health/acetaminophen-five-facts/

[rawfuckr]

bingo. If I knew I wasnt going to have sex for a few months I may go off it, but in general I am going to stay on it. Right now, dating a poz undetectable guy, its smart to be on it. Right now I dont see myself going off it anytime soon.

Also while Truvada is a strong medication, its side effect profile is very low. Infact its significantly lower than many everyday medications including cholesterol drugs. tylenol, and every everyday drugs. Acetaminophen for example is MUCH more dangerous than Truvada.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/16/health/acetaminophen-five-facts/

Truvada is an extremely well tolerated drug and the side effects short term are close to none. Virtually everyone who takes it experience no side effects, and the few that do they are mild and go away in a week or two. This is a conclusion from placebo controlled studies, not from some random anecdotal evidence.

As a word of caution, the side effects on of taking this long term on HIV- guys are pretty much unknown so if you can it's really not a bad idea to get month long breaks from it and adjust your unsafe behavior accordingly. There seems to be some association with mild Bone Density Loss but doesn't seem to be serious for some people. It's also very important you do this under doctor supervision so they are always checking your liver numbers are ok.

[bearbandit]

Not just liver numbers: the tenofovir in truvada goes for the kidneys in such a way that you end up pissing away the vitamins and minerals that should be recycled (check out Fanconi's Syndrome in Wikipedia). Admittedly the chances amongst people with HIV are 1 in 100,000, but the risk is there. Bone density loss is commoner. I broke my ankle coming of my bike on a bend I knew how to ride nearly two years ago. I still need a walking stick outdoors and in unfamiliar places. Most PwHIV I know have experienced some bone density loss within three to five years. I piss away enough calcium that I have to soak my PA in vinegar overnight twice a month to get rid of the limescale.

More common are the gastric effects: it's not known as the farty drug for nothing. When I was taking it my waist size could change by three inches during the day thanks to its bloating effect.

That's the downside for guys with HIV. The truth is that we don't know (yet) about the long term effects on guys who don't have HIV: after all it's only been 18 months or so since it was approved, which makes it all the more essential to keep up with the blood workups, report any unusual symptoms and talk to your doctor before giving it a break. Better to take it needlessly than have a break, get bred and get pozzed. The really horny guys always seem to turn up at the wrong time: I had to say "no" to a guy who wanted my ass (on my birthday too!) because I felt so unwell.