Hepatitis B and PrEP

[Blueyedsoul]

Gentlemen: How many of you have contracted Hep B? I have a recent fuck buddy who just contacted me stating he has tested positive for Hep B. Naturally he is concerned and now I am also concerned. He is not on PrEP but I am. I've only been on PrEP for less than a month. Our last hookup was a week ago. Although no seeding occurred, I am now realizing that the likelihood of me being infected is great. I have contacted my PrEP counselor regarding this news however a physician has not contacted me as of yet. I suspect I will hear from them tomorrow. According to the literature I've found, Tenofovir (in Truvada) is also used for treatment of Hep B. Also, according to the literature, most (80%) rarely develop liver issues. Apparently, once exposed the body naturally begins to fight the virus. For most it is a case of "acute" Hep B meaning that the person recovers from the infection relatively easy. "Chronic" Hep B can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.

Any of you gents battle Hep B? If so can you share your experiences? How did your body react?

[Guest JizzDumpWI]

You can get vaccinated for hep A and HEP B. Discuss that with your doc today...

The chronic Hepatitis is HEP C. But there are treatments for that...

[drscorpio]

Within the first few days after exposure they can give you gamma globulin injections that will keep HepB from taking hold. Then you should get the vaccination to prevent HepB.

I had a similar exposure years ago, and that was what was done for me. I never contracted Hepatitis.

[TigerMilner]

There is really no excuse for excuse for not getting the vaccinations for Hep A and B. If you are on Prep you should have already been vaccinated. How can you overlook that? It needs to be basic 101 requirement for gay sex. Menengititis vaccinations too.

[rawTOP]

There is really no excuse for excuse for not getting the vaccinations for Hep A and B. If you are on Prep you should have already been vaccinated. How can you overlook that? It needs to be basic 101 requirement for gay sex. Menengititis vaccinations too.

Add HPV to the list of vaccines you should get if you don't already have HPV (many gay men have it).

I got Hep B back in the early 90s when I was avidly safe sex. I remember a friend telling me I looked a bit yellow, but I didn't think anything of it. Years later they gave me a Hep B vaccine and I had a reaction to it. The doctor looked more closely and said I had cleared it previously and was now immune.

[rawfuckr]

There is really no excuse for excuse for not getting the vaccinations for Hep A and B. If you are on Prep you should have already been vaccinated. How can you overlook that? It needs to be basic 101 requirement for gay sex. Menengititis vaccinations too.

Adding to this it wouldn't be a bad a idea to check if your vaccine is still working every few years. They can check if you are still immune to Hep A/B by looking into the amount of certain antibodies flowing through your blood that the vaccine generated.

[nymanhole]

I am a chronic carrier of Hep B and take tenofovir daily to keep the HEP virus at bay. I remain HIV negative. I contracted the HEP B even though I had been vaccinated for a couple years earlier!!! No one ever checked to determine if the vaccine had taken, which in my case it had not, and this is common among nearly 10% of those vaccinated the first time!!

As for your contracting it, I would think the fact you are on PReP may be your saving grace. Truvada is 1/2 tenofovir (300 mg) the same doseage of tenofovir I take daily to keep the Heb B undetectable. Hopefully the PReP will work for the Hep B as it will hopefully help with the HIV! Good luck!

[wood]

I am a chronic carrier of Hep B and take tenofovir daily to keep the HEP virus at bay. I remain HIV negative. I contracted the HEP B even though I had been vaccinated for a couple years earlier!!! No one ever checked to determine if the vaccine had taken, which in my case it had not, and this is common among nearly 10% of those vaccinated the first time!!

As for your contracting it, I would think the fact you are on PReP may be your saving grace. Truvada is 1/2 tenofovir (300 mg) the same doseage of tenofovir I take daily to keep the Heb B undetectable. Hopefully the PReP will work for the Hep B as it will hopefully help with the HIV! Good luck!

Interesting. I would hope that for the OP PrEP would keep the Hep B from taking hold.

With that said, you NEED to go see your doc and get vaccinated for HEP A/B. its a series of three shots IIRC, or it was when I had it.

When I started PrEP they also did a blood test to see how much immunity I had to Hep B, since I had the Vaccine over 10 years ago. Mine was still strong, but you can get a booster shot if it has become weaker.

HEP B can be cured, but its a bitch if you get it, and like nymanhole, some people remain carriers for life. It can also be spread much more easily than HIV, and unlike HEP C, it is present in semen.

[Sfmike64]

Seriously. EVERY gay man should have the Hep A and B shots. I had the B shots when they first were approved in the early 80s and before there was a vaccine I had Hep A. It was the sickest I've ever been. Three weeks, I couldn't move. I felt like I'd been hit by a train.

Get the fucking vaccines.

[TigerMilner]

Seriously. EVERY gay man should have the Hep A and B shots. I had the B shots when they first were approved in the early 80s and before there was a vaccine I had Hep A. It was the sickest I've ever been. Three weeks, I couldn't move. I felt like I'd been hit by a train.

Get the fucking vaccines.

I agree with RT's call on the HPV vaccine if you are young enough for it to matter but the Menengitis vaccine is a really important one that is not a sexually transmitted disease typically. Menengitis can kill you in a matter of hours. Dead. It is a vaccine anyone who travels should get.

[Blueyedsoul]

Everyone: I should clarify... I took a work trip to South East Asia (Thailand and Loas) back in July of 2000 where up to 90% of the population are positive for Hep by the time they are 40. I had multiple vaccinations and to my recollection (which is a bit hazy) Hep A and B were given. My counselor and doctor in charge of the PrEP study I am participating in has already ordered my previous medical records. The way I see it:

1) Either I was not given the vaccination or the vaccination did not take.

2) If it didn't take or it wasn't given then I am probably positive for Hep B. It's a matter of where I am at... and has it progressed or passed.

3) Presuming I'm positive then I have been asymptomatic. If asymptomatic is that due to the Truvada suppressing the disease?

**Stat from the World Health Organization**

Edited June 6, 2014 by Blueyedsoul

[Poz1956]

Testing for Hep B and offering a Hep B vaccination are supposed to be standard operating procedure before prescribing PrEP. I think your doctor made an error if he missed those steps. Even if he believed you to have previously received the vaccination, the strength of the immune response can be tested, and it should have been done. Perhaps give your doctor a gentle reminder, in case other patients discuss PrEP with him. (Checklist for Prescribers)

One of the drugs in Truvads is used to treat Heb B. There has never been a study on using its use as a prophylaxis for Hep B, but I'd guess there is a pretty good chance it could work as a preventative.

For everybody else, ALL gay men should have the Hep A and B vaccination. Hep A is spread by fecal mater. Many gay men rim. Therefor gay men are at higher risk of Hep A. Hep B is sexually transmitted, and quite common in the gay community. Hep B is 50 to 100 times more transmissible than HIV, and is definitely considered possible to transmit vial oral sex. Therefore ALL gay men should have both those vaccinations.

I wonder what would happen if we polled all those "Clean UB2" guys, and asked if they had been tested for, or vaccinated against Hep A & B. I'd bet the response would be a vacuous stare.

[Blueyedsoul]

Poz1956: I am in a clinical study through UCLA and Charles Drew University Medical Center. Trust me, my mind has been wandering ever since the doc called me. I think your assumption regarding "Clean UB2" guys is true. The irony of it, for me anyways, was that I was at the local CVS a few weeks before my starting the PrEP study and had inquired about the cost of the vaccinations. $150.00 each. It was on my radar screen so to speak for updating purposes. Now, I am wondering where the disease is in its progression. Whether or not it's acute or chronic. All I can do is wait and see what the docs on the clinical trial have to say. My appointment is this week. The one doc I spoke with told me that he expected that the infection is one that's recent and the Tenofovir (in the Truvada) has kept the progression in check. Currently, Tenofovir is in a Phase III trial for its effectiveness against chronic Hep B.

For those interested, I will post the outcome of my meeting plus the recommended course of action/prognosis. Again, thanks to everyone who has chimmed in.

[Blueyedsoul]

For those interested, I will post the outcome of my meeting plus the recommended course of action/prognosis. Again, thanks to everyone who has chimed in. And by the way, I have been asking my potentials if they have had their vaccinations. Again Poz1956, you're correct. Vacuous stares and replies have been pretty standard. Most stating 'Why would I do that?' I posted earlier today about my taking my first load. I fully disclosed my predicament to my top last night. He had no issues since both him and his husband had been vaccinated for both Hep A/B within the last two years and in fact the vaccination had taken. So he had no issues. He actually commended me for being honest. That's one of the reasons why he wants to be my regular.

[Leather69]

One thing to remember is that whilst the hep b vaccine is for life, the hep a vaccine isn't and from memory has a relatively short span (3 -6 months???)