berlinboi Posted September 19, 2015 Report Posted September 19, 2015 How does one go about this? Also are there more stis you catch when you bareback using prep.
bearbandit Posted September 19, 2015 Report Posted September 19, 2015 These two sites have recently (this week) gone up from the UK, where we're arguing to have PrEP available pretty much on demand, within our health system rather than having to get private prescriptions. Be aware that the information on legality is specific to the UK. http://i-base.info/qa/10743 http://i-base.info/qa/10734PrEP is a protocol, a method of doing things, to prevent transmission of/infection with HIV. I say that because people frequently think that PrEP is a drug. The drug used for protection against HIV is truvada, which in turn is composed of two drugs: tenofovir and emtricitabine. Although tenofovir has, in the laboratory, been seen to have some action against hepatitis B, it isn't used to treat hepatitis B. Otherwise the two drugs comprising truvada are ONLY active against HIV. If you're using truvada to protect yourself from HIV, it's important to understand that you're still open to a wide range of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). With truvada protecting you, you don't have to worry about HIV, and you can be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. There is a vaccination available for some strains of the virus that causes genital warts (which can lead to cancer) but that's often only available to teenage girls.Even taking truvada you are still at risk from other STIs, so it's important (and indeed is part of the PrEP protocol) to have a full STI checkup at least every three months: many of the STIs don't necessarily have any symptoms. While this all sounds very daunting, it's how we lived in the seventies: having your three-monthly checkup was often treated as a social event, with friends going together to the STI clinic, and guys picking each other up there.An STI check should consist of blood tests for hepatitis and syphilis (and if you're taking truvada, HIV - just to make sure it's working), a quick visual exam if you think it's necessary, the taking of swabs from inside your ass and the back of your throat (in the UK there's a move to get you to take these swabs yourself - they're easy enough to do, just get the nurse to show you the first time so you know what the swabs should feel like) and finally a piss sample. Be honest about what you get up to sexually: they're there to help you not to judge you. Most STI checkups are over very quickly (about five minutes for the physical stuff and a bit more time talking to a doctor).
berlinboi Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Posted September 19, 2015 Thanks for that - I also am prescribed tetracyclines for a skin condition. I have checked that it looks like it protects other stis. I will get tested on Monday and again a few weeks later. Idea is to ensure i'm negative - keep on being checked every month then take Prep from the new year. This is all part of a new health and gym regime.
berlinboi Posted October 13, 2015 Author Report Posted October 13, 2015 Found out that if you get generics for a bit over 40 pounds a month clinics in London will do your `bloodlines` for free. Will be investigating it soon
bearbandit Posted October 21, 2015 Report Posted October 21, 2015 www.iwantprepnow.co.uk has just launched... should be worth a look
FillMyArse Posted October 21, 2015 Report Posted October 21, 2015 The iwantprepnow site is not working for me even going via google. Hopefully just a temp problem.
bearbandit Posted October 22, 2015 Report Posted October 22, 2015 I've seen a post from one of the guys behind iwantprepnow saying that the outage is a temporary glitch: as of 9am (BST) they know what's causing it, and are working on fixing it...
rawfuckr Posted October 27, 2015 Report Posted October 27, 2015 www.iwantprepnow.co.uk has just launched... should be worth a look Fantastic resource! Specially the fact they are testing the drug levels of people who are taking generics to validate authenticity. 1
Ocelot2000 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Posted October 31, 2015 I agree. It's good to know from now how well the generics are faring compared to Truvada itself.
berlinboi Posted November 4, 2015 Author Report Posted November 4, 2015 Just to let people know that I'm about to go on PrEP - I have the drugs from alldays (was pretty easy). You have to go to 56 Dean Street clinic in London (make a day of it by going to museums etc) if you don't live nearby. If you think of clinics as the usual finger wagging of schoolmarmish women and repressed finger wagging men you're in for a big surprise. The staff use the same gay vernacular as yourself and are often gay or bi. My advice is to go to the CODE clinic on a Tuesday night at 5pm. It's quieter as it's set up for chemsex guys and it'll be all over by 15 mins. They know about PrEP and generic drugs. I'm starting tomorrow on guy fawkes morning!
rawpisspig Posted November 7, 2015 Report Posted November 7, 2015 Does anyone know if PrEP is available in Ireland?
berlinboi Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Posted November 7, 2015 It is available to anyone i think if you buy them online (though can't be sure) alldays is the company from which I bought them. The thing is you're supposed to have creatine tests and 3 monthly check ups as part of taking PrEP.
bearbandit Posted November 7, 2015 Report Posted November 7, 2015 The advice at www.iwantprepnow.co.uk is geared to the UK, but it shouldn't be too difficult to translate to the health system of another country. As berlinboi says, the testing is the essential part of the PrEP programme: getting the generic drug is the easy part. I'd urge everyone to make damn sure they stick with the testing side of the programme: STIs can make it easier for HIV to establish a bridgehead in your body, and if there's ever going to be a documented case of someone getting HIV while fully adherent on PrEP I'm betting that there'll be another STI involved. The HIV test is essential because if you forget too many tablets and do pick up HIV, then you need more than just truvada or its generic to deal with it: truvada is not enough in itself. Finally the liver and kidney testing are essential: if you're going to have problems with the drug (which is extremely unlikely: everything I see says that neg guys have it easier than poz guys with truvada), these, and your bones, are where the problems will manifest. It takes a long time and a negligent doctor for problems to happen, but it can happen. The odds are on a par with hitting the jackpot in the UK lottery, but, gentlewhores, I hit that jackpot. Trust me: jump through all the hoops the doctors tell you to. And if you're in the UK, I've heard so much good about 56 Dean Street... If I lived in London I'd be using it.
nelliess Posted November 8, 2015 Report Posted November 8, 2015 I still find it pretty shameful that PrEP hasn't been approved by NICE and isn't available on the NHS, but I understand why. There's very little political pressure to do so. No-one is going to fight for the right of gay men to have condomless sex after all the safe sex campaigns, even when it looks like PrEP is actually a more effective solution. This is one of those rare situations where the free healthcare model lets us down. Since money is tight there's little incentive to approve treatments for 'lifestyle' situations unless its one with a powerful lobby behind it.
berlinboi Posted November 8, 2015 Author Report Posted November 8, 2015 Yes it is Google spectater nhs condoms as I can't seem to paste a very good article on these forums for some reason
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