Asked My Doctor To Get Prep...

[CHOamino]

...at first he didn't know what I was talking about. Then he informed me he was the wrong person to ask, I had to go to specially trained doctors. I told him the CDC and Gilead website all said to talk to my primary care physician. He looked it up and agreed the website goes around the subject and isn't clear. So, he told me he wasn't comfortable and gave me a referral to an infectious disease specialist. He then sent me on my, not so merry, way, with a 15 day supply and said that this was a 'One time thing'.

 

Has anyone had this confusing situation occur to them? I don't seem to think going to an infectious disease specialist will make much of a difference. My story, and concerns, are the same. Looking online I haven't found any helpful information about actually obtaining a prescription in my area. While this website is useful, most of the information disseminated here is political in origin or scientific in nature. Nothing seems to give me practical advice.

[drscorpio]

Go to the ID doctor. They will know what PrEP is, and you should have no further difficulties. 

[BarebackFan]

The American Academy of HIV Medicine has a site that provides a search engine providing referral information to their certified health care providers. There's a check box that filters for doctors that provide PrEP. It's located at this link.

 

Perhaps this will be of help. Good luck!

[spike-the-cat]

Your primary care physician sounds like an uninformed, judgmental douche. I would go to the infectious disease specialist and also take this as a sign that it's time to get a new general practitioner.

[mort]

I think your Primary Care Physician did the correct thing when it comes to taking medication like this you need someone that knows about it and he had no knowledge so forwarding you to a specialst was good on his part if he wanted to be annoying he could of just refused but he didn't.

 

The only bad thing I would say is he should of done some blood work first before giving you the 15 day worth but I think he only gave you this amount to cover himself upto your appointment with the other people so if you did say get infected you can't go back or take action saying you was refused ways to protect yourself.

[BarebackFan]

My primary care also happens to be an infection disease specialist (same doc my poz partner goes to). When i first brought up the PrEP conversation, he went into this unexpected rant about there being all kinds of ways to have safe sex. My next visit there, I was seen by his gay (and probably poz) nurse practitioner. I brought up the doctor's rant and he was surprised. The practitioner asked if I had unprotected sex. I said "yes." He said, "let's get your blood drawn and get you started." 

My next visit to the office (after being on Truvada for six months), the doctor was going over my meds. He asked how the Truvada was. I said "great." He looked at me and said "This is the single most important drug we've seen in years. Every negative gay guy should be on it." 

 

Not sure what happened with the doc between the first visit and the most recent. (Don't know - don't care.) Perhaps its our job to educate our health providers when they're unaware.

[CHOamino]

The American Academy of HIV Medicine has a site that provides a search engine providing referral information to their certified health care providers. There's a check box that filters for doctors that provide PrEP. It's located at this link.

 

Perhaps this will be of help. Good luck!

 

Thank you. This website only reports one doctor in my immediate local that is PrEP certified through them. It's also, no surpise, not the ID specialist I was referred to see.

 

 

Your primary care physician sounds like an uninformed, judgmental douche. I would go to the infectious disease specialist and also take this as a sign that it's time to get a new general practitioner.

 

You are not the first person to tell me that, at least not in real life.

 

I think your Primary Care Physician did the correct thing when it comes to taking medication like this you need someone that knows about it and he had no knowledge so forwarding you to a specialst was good on his part if he wanted to be annoying he could of just refused but he didn't.

 

The only bad thing I would say is he should of done some blood work first before giving you the 15 day worth but I think he only gave you this amount to cover himself upto your appointment with the other people so if you did say get infected you can't go back or take action saying you was refused ways to protect yourself.

 

I understand the point you are making. But I will have to lean with Spike-the-cat on this one. This post only contains one interaction with my doctor. And a rather personal one at that. Overall I would say a culturally-conservative straight male does not make the best primary care physician for me. I don't choose a doctor on their bedside manner, but I will choose a doctor based on their ability to understand the problem at hand. As a gay male in his 20's, he doesn't fit the criteria for me.

 

Not sure what happened with the doc between the first visit and the most recent. (Don't know - don't care.) Perhaps its our job to educate our health providers when they're unaware.

 

I don't think he wanted to be educated...

[bootmandc]

I think PreP is a huge (earthshatteringl?) paradigm shift for many in the medical profession, just as it is with some of us (see thread re "did you ever think you would be barebacking?).  For years these doctors have LIVED their lives trying to SAVE our lives and head off this long running crisis - and that was by preaching and practicing safe sex.  To now have a pill that can essentially throw all that to the curb is a bit overwhelming.  

 

I go to an ID specialist who is young and vibrant  and I really like him (ok, I have a crush on him!)  And he has admitted the seeming inherent contradiction in this new area of his practice... he is enabling me to do what I could not do for years because it could have killed me ... and he is doing it for better or worse.  None of us truly knows how the next 5-10 years will really play out.  We are still taking a calculated risk.

 

I think it's gonna take time for everyone ... just be grateful that you have a plan, access, etc.

 

just my 2 cents. 

[RideMyBlkDik]

I had a similar experience but with a slight twist.  I asked my urologist to put me on PrEP an he didn't know what I was talking about. (I went to see him when I contracted gonorrhea for the very first time).  He was really in left field because he wanted to know which female gave me gonorrhea and apparently he just doesn't treat HIV patients. He is a specialist in both urology and oncology and I assumed that somewhere his his education he had crossed paths with infectious diseases live HIV. I guess it's kinda like the same way he assumes I am a straight black male.

 

So I concluded that I was getting nowhere with my urologist. But I needed to find answers elsewhere. Quickly.

 

Last month I began my own search to find a physician or a clinic, any physician or clinic, in order to get HIV-tested... and if I tested negative, I was hoping to get on PrEP.  Here's the twist, I started making phone calls on a Friday evening all  over New Jersey and New York to get tested for HIV.  I literally called dozens of locations. I could not find anywhere that would test me for HIV.  Right through to Saturday, the next day, all the places I called either sent me to voicemail or told me I could come in to do the test on a week day during hours when I am generally at my job.  I was in a general state of disbelief. I was totally exasperated!!  How could I be having difficulty in finding a place to test me for HIV?

 

Getting on PrEP was the ultimate goal, but first I wanted to be sure I was HIV negative...

Before giving up, I called a friend who has been HIV positive for many years now and I asked him where to go for a test.  He contacted his friend on Facebook who told him I should go to IRIS House in Plainfield, NJ or to IRIS House in Harlem, New York.  I called both locations and got voicemail.  I left messages on both.  The following Monday morning, I got a call from the New Jersey office.  They agreed to set up an appointment for me at the Harlem office of IRIS House that same evening.  I kept my appointment. And to make a long story short, I was put on a fast track to see a physician who has devoted her many years of practice to treating HIV/AIDS patients.  Thanks to her, today I am on PrEP.

 

Here are the 2 biggest lessons I learned from my experience:  1.  HIV and AIDS are no longer considered a death sentence like it was in the 80's and 90's when it ravaged the gay community.  2.  HIV and AIDS are now in the same column as Tuberculosis (TB) and Diabetes...as long as you take your meds you will live a long, normal, and productive life. (Thanks to the great strides made in modern medicine).

 

The urgency to deal with HIV and AIDS just doesn't exist anymore.

Edited November 27, 2015 by RideMyBlkDik

[CHOamino]

The urgency to deal with HIV and AIDS just doesn't exist anymore.

 

I feel like THIS is the case after my recent experience. I can't find anywhere that's within 40mi that's a walk-in clinic where I could get tested and discuss PreP. There's a Planned Parenthood, which is typically surrounded by protesters, and I know they ask for insurance to get testing done. So why not just go to my primary doctor?

Your situation seems to have started off just like mine, like you said. Upsettingly it seems your 'twist' on the story seems to have worked out the better for you. I am still awaiting the ID specialist. Whether he actually prescribes is a different story. Also, whether he spends his time belittling me is another.

[fillmyholeftl]

I had a similar experience but with a slight twist.  I asked my urologist to put me on PrEP an he didn't know what I was talking about. (I went to see him when I contracted gonorrhea for the very first time).  He was really in left field because he wanted to know which female gave me gonorrhea and apparently he just doesn't treat HIV patients. He is a specialist in both urology and oncology and I assumed that somewhere his his education he had crossed paths with infectious diseases live HIV. I guess it's kinda like the same way he assumes I am a straight black male.

 

So I concluded that I was getting nowhere with my urologist. But I needed to find answers elsewhere. Quickly.

 

Last month I began my own search to find a physician or a clinic, any physician or clinic, in order to get HIV-tested... and if I tested negative, I was hoping to get on PrEP.  Here's the twist, I started making phone calls on a Friday evening all  over New Jersey and New York to get tested for HIV.  I literally called dozens of locations. I could not find anywhere that would test me for HIV.  Right through to Saturday, the next day, all the places I called either sent me to voicemail or told me I could come in to do the test on a week day during hours when I am generally at my job.  I was in a general state of disbelief. I was totally exasperated!!  How could I be having difficulty in finding a place to test me for HIV?

 

Getting on PrEP was the ultimate goal, but first I wanted to be sure I was HIV negative...

Before giving up, I called a friend who has been HIV positive for many years now and I asked him where to go for a test.  He contacted his friend on Facebook who told him I should go to IRIS House in Plainfield, NJ or to IRIS House in Harlem, New York.  I called both locations and got voicemail.  I left messages on both.  The following Monday morning, I got a call from the New Jersey office.  They agreed to set up an appointment for me at the Harlem office of IRIS House that same evening.  I kept my appointment. And to make a long story short, I was put on a fast track to see a physician who has devoted her many years of practice to treating HIV/AIDS patients.  Thanks to her, today I am on PrEP.

 

Here are the 2 biggest lessons I learned from my experience:  1.  HIV and AIDS are no longer considered a death sentence like it was in the 80's and 90's when it ravaged the gay community.  2.  HIV and AIDS are now in the same column as Tuberculosis (TB) and Diabetes...as long as you take your meds you will live a long, normal, and productive life. (Thanks to the great strides made in modern medicine).

 

The urgency to deal with HIV and AIDS just doesn't exist anymore.

 

I relocated from the NY/NJ area to S. Florida 5 years ago.  I became very involved in the LGBT community & began work in the HIV Outreach/testing field.  I am disturbed that NYC/NJ have no readily available rapid testing locations.  Here in Ft Lauderdale, rapid HIV testing is available 7 days a week. At the Pride Center, where I work we have on site testing 10am-9pm M-F and 12 noon-5pm on weekends.  We are out at the bathhouses and  other locations late at night and afternoons on many days.  We also offer help in linkage to HIV & PrEP services at no cost ... I am glad I relocated.

 

[Nu2this]

I live in the DC metropolitan area and my primary care physician told me the same thing. He was nice about it and just said he knew nothing about the drug other than that it would help people, but he didn't know enough to prescribe. I called various ID docs in the area. All those that I reached in Virginia told me they didn't do "maintenance work" and wouldn't schedule an appointment. I finally started calling ID docs located in DC and the first one I called scheduled an appointment and got me in to see her in 2 days. No problem getting the prescription. 

[jeff238]

At one visit long ago, I asked my GP for an HIV test as part of a yearly check up. He gave me some bs about I would have to have counciling before I could have the test. They were giving free testing at the baths on Friday nights at the time! I never had the testing done because I was low risk in those days.

I got my PReP exams started thanks to an ad on BBRT for testing at a BB party.

Long story short, I started with the a county health STD clinic, who referred me to an ID doc. It wasn't even in the county I lived in, but since it was state funded, they didn't care.

I didn't have insurance at the time, so the free testing was a plus. They forwarded my results to the ID doc, I called and set up an appointment and within 30 days I had my prescription free of charge thanks to a state program.

I did find out a couple things along the way. (1) Have the HIV/STD testing done by the county health department. It will save you a bunch of money. (2) Your GP is like mine, they don't get much training or keep up on ID issues.

Edited December 3, 2015 by jeff238

[CHOamino]

To end this topic, today I met with the head of infectious disease at a local hospital.

 

I was prepared for the worst since this guy is 70+ at a catholic(?) hospital. Luckily, he had minimal questions to ask. Sent me for a lab panel and gave me a prescription. Still, he made one comment that bugged me. While deciding which labs to order he said something along the lines of 'I'm going to order a HepB surface antigen test since you've chosen not to use barrier protection'. On this site that might not sound bizzare, but to have a doctor just assume such a thing right infront of me got my heart rate going.

[rawfuckr]

To end this topic, today I met with the head of infectious disease at a local hospital.

 

I was prepared for the worst since this guy is 70+ at a catholic(?) hospital. Luckily, he had minimal questions to ask. Sent me for a lab panel and gave me a prescription. Still, he made one comment that bugged me. While deciding which labs to order he said something along the lines of 'I'm going to order a HepB surface antigen test since you've chosen not to use barrier protection'. On this site that might not sound bizzare, but to have a doctor just assume such a thing right infront of me got my heart rate going.

 

He 'may' have implied that you've chosen not to use barrier protection for rimming which is where hep B is a problem. In that context the comment could have had a more clinical nature... I'd cut a lot of slack to  a doctor who's 70+ working at a catholic hospital anyway.