Aids Is So 2003

[muscmtl]

Anyone feels it`s over. With all these porn stars barebacking, everyone doing prep, and most of us pozies on drugs for so many years that we could not give the virus away even if we were paid?

 

Been hit by all these hot Prep guys wanting "viral loads", so many of them that it feels it is no longer a taboo but The in-thing to do, and they`re all pissed when they hear that I`m undetectable (real problem is that they hit on inshape guys and inshape-poz just don`t have a viral load). I keep telling them to seek guys that looked like junkies or have shooting scars on their arms (which I find fuckin hot) since they`re the ones most likely to have a viral load, but they won`t because these guys are not hot.

 

Next year by this time, every porn studio will be doing bb and Prep will have made Gilhead stocks like gold.

I miss the good old days (the mid 90`s) where I was actually dangerous, like some kind of witch with life/death powers, that being poz meant something, now it feels more like I have diabetes.

 

Steve Musc

 

[unloadinU]

Very interesting observation.

[TigerMilner]

But you are still hot as fuck my friend! Damn!

[NLbear]

That's in the US, where Prep is available. It isn't in the rest of the world, yet.

And I have diabetes, that's not a fun thing too.

[GermanFucker]

I miss the good old days (the mid 90`s) where I was actually dangerous, like some kind of witch with life/death powers, that being poz meant something, now it feels more like I have diabetes.

 

 

I both agree and disagree with you.

 

No, I don't think the old day were that good. And for a number of guys they still aren't. I know guys that are thin as rails because HIV has already wreaked too much havoc on their bodies to put some weight on or they just can't find a therapy that doesn't fuck up their digestive system. I know guys that got cancer because HIV wasn't detected early enough and are still suffering from the long-term effects of both the cancer and the cancer treatment.

 

And I don't close my eyes to that part of reality. I think the problem is that some guys just don't care, they don't give a shit. And that ultimately comes across as disrespectful. Because it is that much harder to vicariously have fun while at the same time respecting what your choices actually mean.

[bbzh]

Being poz is still very much a taboo. Just start telling people casually (not just on BB sites) and see what their reaction is. A lot of people are uninformed about HIV and would like to stay that way. 

 

I would even go as far as to say that those who are informed that undetectable poz guys are non-infectious still will point to the other STDs out here as proof that it pays to cover up.

 

I think the only way barebacking would be universally accepted is if people could self-diagnose and had access to cheap over the counter drugs to cure every conceivable STD. A lot of people don't get tested for anything because of the shame associated with having a health worker know that they have been having unsafe sex.

 

Anyway, I am just crazy enough to believe that a lot of these "illnesses" are created in a lab and introduced into the general population to 1) keep people living in fear and 2) allow pharma to make money.  

 

Imagine if something like an aspirin could cure anything you could get. The level of promiscuity would shoot through the roof. 

 

To GermanFucker's point, I agree that people are having a lot of complications from not having been diagnosed with HIV and treated earlier. I had to hound my ex for months before he would go get tested. His CD4 count (<100) was shockingly low and he was at risk for all sorts of opportunistic infections. 

 

And one final point about PReP. I still can't quite wrap my head around the logic of it. I get not wanting to be poz, but what I don't get is taking one of the same meds daily that poz guys take to stay neg. Aren't you then in essence a pseudo poz man? The way I see it, Gilead is smart. Those fuckers have figured out how to monetize fear if they've got people walking around proud of the fact that they are paying to have unsafe sex. 

[fuckrogerbb]

I have a question about the cost of the HIV drugs. Can people enlighten me on your monthly cost. Is that after insurance if you have it. I know prep is very expensive on Medicare. I'd take it if I could afford it.

[tallbtm]

Fuckrogerbb,

 

I can't speak to the cost of drugs used to treat HIV infection, but Truvada for HIV prevention (PrEP)'s retail cost can be up to $1100/month (according to http://men.Prepfacts.org). But all insurance companies cover it.

 

I get my insurance through work and my particular plan has a $30 monthly co-pay for Truvada as PrEP. My actual monthly cost is $0, because I enrolled in Gilead's co-pay assistance program.  (Gilead in the manufacturer of Truvada. Their co-pay assistance program has no income-eligibility requirement.)

 

Check your particular Medicare plan and whether it makes sense to enroll in a different plan that might have better prescription coverage (if available in your state). I'm afraid I don't really know much about how Medicare Part D plans work. Unfortunately, Gilead's co-pay assistance program isn't open to those on Medicare or Medicaid.

Edited August 10, 2015 by tallbtm

[wood]

I both agree and disagree with you.

 

No, I don't think the old day were that good. And for a number of guys they still aren't. I know guys that are thin as rails because HIV has already wreaked too much havoc on their bodies to put some weight on or they just can't find a therapy that doesn't fuck up their digestive system. I know guys that got cancer because HIV wasn't detected early enough and are still suffering from the long-term effects of both the cancer and the cancer treatment.

 

And I don't close my eyes to that part of reality. I think the problem is that some guys just don't care, they don't give a shit. And that ultimately comes across as disrespectful. Because it is that much harder to vicariously have fun while at the same time respecting what your choices actually mean.

This is spot on IMO.  

 

The problem with the "good old days" is that people were dying all over the place, and lots of other people insisted on condoms.  

 

So lack of obvious danger aside, I think today with PrEP is a MUCH better time. 

[cam1972]

I both agree and disagree with you.

 

No, I don't think the old day were that good. And for a number of guys they still aren't. I know guys that are thin as rails because HIV has already wreaked too much havoc on their bodies to put some weight on or they just can't find a therapy that doesn't fuck up their digestive system. I know guys that got cancer because HIV wasn't detected early enough and are still suffering from the long-term effects of both the cancer and the cancer treatment.

 

And I don't close my eyes to that part of reality. I think the problem is that some guys just don't care, they don't give a shit. And that ultimately comes across as disrespectful. Because it is that much harder to vicariously have fun while at the same time respecting what your choices actually mean.

I'm one of those that had cancer due to having HIV. Being tired everyday, having neuropathy and a myriad of other side effects doesn't make me long for the old days. And... Given the ignorance I experience every time I tell a gay guy I'm poz.... Still feels like the old days. Have a conversation with one of those. The feeling of being a threat will come back quickly. Lol

[VersatileBreeder]

I have a question about the cost of the HIV drugs. Can people enlighten me on your monthly cost. Is that after insurance if you have it. I know prep is very expensive on Medicare. I'd take it if I could afford it.

Fuckrogerbb-

I am poz and on Stribild. I have very good health insurance and the way my plan works, I am liable to pay a copayment on any prescription drug with a maximum out of pocket amount of $400 per year in copayments. So, early in the year, when I get my 3-month supply of Stribild filled (which is retail price $8,950), the pharmacy asks me for $400, because the copayment is hitting that $400 max. Coincidentally, $400 is exactly what the Gilead copay card will cover you for each month for your meds. So that card settles the $400 maximum and I pay nothing. Then, my insurance covers me for meds for the rest of the year at 100%. So, I'm lucky enough to not have to pay a dime for my meds.

[TigerMilner]

Fuckrogerbb-

I am poz and on Stribild. I have very good health insurance and the way my plan works, I am liable to pay a copayment on any prescription drug with a maximum out of pocket amount of $400 per year in copayments. So, early in the year, when I get my 3-month supply of Stribild filled (which is retail price $8,950), the pharmacy asks me for $400, because the copayment is hitting that $400 max. Coincidentally, $400 is exactly what the Gilead copay card will cover you for each month for your meds. So that card settles the $400 maximum and I pay nothing. Then, my insurance covers me for meds for the rest of the year at 100%. So, I'm lucky enough to not have to pay a dime for my meds.

Same here. I pay $0. Between insurance and programs like the Gilead card most people get their meds for free. I don't know if Prep is that way. Like Poptronic, I am taking Stribild now.