Failing PEP

[Guest]

Last month I got stealthed by this guy at the bath house.  When I wasn't watching, he removed the condom he had insisted on using and then proceeded to cum in me. When I found out, for some reason instead of being angry I decided to immediately suck his cock and then let him breed me a second time - raw.

The next day I went and requested PEP because if I seroconvert, I rather it didn't occur in the context of a random hookup.  (For those who aren't familiar with PEP, the acronym refers to post-exposure propylaxis, which amounts to taking anti-retroviral medication (ART) after having been potentially exposed to HIV. The purpose is to prevent seroconversion.  PEP should be used only in emergency situations and must be started within 72 hours after a recent possible exposure to HIV.

For various reason, the cocktail of Truvada and Isentress really set badly with my stomach and I was so annoyed by it I found myself irritated about having to take the medication, particularly as I had been instructed to eat a meal with the Truvada.  (Apparently taking Truvada on a full stomach boosts absorption.)  In any event, more than once I took the medication late, on one occasion four hours late, and additionally I did not eat very much while taking Truvada.  I even flushed my daily dose once as requested by some members of the forum.  For some reason doing so really turned me on.

The treatment was to last 28 days, but during the last two weeks I developed a sore throat and feverish symptoms that went away after six days.  Nothing too serious or tough.

Now that I have finished the treatment I'm supposed to see my doctor in 30 days, then at the 90 day mark, and finally at the 180 day mark - just to verify if it worked.

I was wondering if anyone on this site has ever taken PEP, and if so, did it work?

When I told to the doctor I was not sticking to the timing he gave me, and that I was having sex during the PEP period, he got pretty pissed off saying that I was risking becoming resistant to the cocktail, and he also suggested I might have a high viral load, in which case I would be dangerous to any guys with whom I had sex.  

[barecub85]

It's really hard to say whether PEP works or not on a case by case basis. Remember, HIV is actually not "easy" to transmit, and in some cases where guys get bred by a top of unknown status, take PEP and don't get HIV, they might not have gotten pozzed  even without the PEP for various reasons (e.g. top was neg, top was on meds, virus just didn't take, etc). 

That being said, PEP has been shown to be very effective at reducing the *risk* of transmission - which means that in studies fewer guys who took PEP turned poz than guys who didn't take PEP. But its effectiveness is directly tied to how closely you follow the directions - so by missing doses, etc, you are increasing your risk of becoming poz.

You mentioned you're not sure yet whether or not you want to get pozzed in the future - have you thought about going on PrEP for the time being until you make up your mind? PrEP is a lot more forgiving than PEP as far as missed doses - it's still almost 99% effective even if you miss one dose a week - and there are many ways to get PrEP at a reduced cost, either through the manufacturer's assistance program, or through an HIV-related clinical study.

[Guest]

I'm aware of the PREP, they said i should get on it as soon as i get my blood results.

[hungry_hole]

On 2017-04-19 at 9:02 PM, TagBoy87 said:

Last month I got stealthed by this guy at the bath house. 

He removed the condom he insisted in using while I was not watching and than proceeded to cum in me.

We tend to assume that all stealthers are Poz but I think that guys stealth because bareback feels better that shooting inside a condom. I can't even remember when was the last time I came inside a condom but I used to hate it. So many times getting stealthed does not mean you will get pozed (apart from the fact thet HIV is not easy to transmit).

A bit outside the topic:

On 2017-04-19 at 9:02 PM, TagBoy87 said:

When I found out for some reason instead of being angry I decided to immediately suck he's cock and than let him breed me a second time raw.

When I read accounts like this I'm more convinced that stealthing in cruising-for-sex places should be a valid alternative not to be demonized.

[Guest NxNW]

You don't have to eat a meal with Truvada, btw. I can't believe they told you that. I was on Isentress/Truvada for a year, and that combo works just fine with or without food. 

[lower_bucks_bottom]

When I took Isentress my ID dr told me to take it with food. But I know other people that took it and were told it didn't matter.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, lower_bucks_bottom said:

When I took Isentress my ID dr told me to take it with food. But I know other people that took it and were told it didn't matter.

I got told that apparently food boost's Truvada abosrbtion but i noticed is a european procedure that is not followed in the usa.

Regardless of that, damn if it was heavy on the stomach, I had fucking cramps for almost more than half ot the treatment period. I get why some people with hiv decide to take brakes against doctors wishes.

 

15 hours ago, hungry_hole said:

 

A bit outside the topic

When I read accounts like this I'm more convinced that stealthing in cruising-for-sex places should be a valid alternative not to be demonized.

You mean barebacking or stealthing ?