When to start up PrEP again after COVID19

[barefootboy]

Hello.

I hate to show my ignorance about this topic, but I am confused as to how many days I need to take PrEP again before being sexually active.

I have heard of something called 2-2-1 and 5-1-1 but I don't understand what that is. The extent of my knowledge on those is you take it for that number of days before and after sexual activity but I don't understand the reasoning behind it.  I have read online that you need to take PrEP 21 days before sexual activity. Another post says 7 days before sexual activity. 

I know there are a lot of guys out there with good knowledge of the subject.  

Please let me know your thoughts.

[bihairy]

My doctor said 7 days before sexual activity.  Not sure if this has changed.

[NJGB]

It takes 7 days for prep to buildup in the ass and up to 14 days for the vagina

I was told to keep taking it for 28 days after last potential exposure. Others have said this is a conservative amount but as long as liver and kidney screenings were fine I wouldn’t want to risk it and would keep taking it till 28 days.

 

 

[leatherpunk16]

I think I know what you mean. Since we don't have an end date for this, it's kinda hard to plan to start taking it 14 days before we're active again, and then it turns out that we'll be here another three months. A lot of guys are gonna want to get seeded straight away, and this lack of an end date doesn't really provide for that.

[HardOneLA]

Hey barefootboy, there is no such thing as "ignorance" in asking a question - only in not asking one.  As others have said, and since I also stopped PrEP, my doctor said 7 days, as was the instruction when initially beginning it.  I sure hope we get a "view ahead" so I'll know when this quarantine is ending and get a head=start on rebreaking my cherry.  It might kill me if they announce "No more pandemic, everything back to normal" and then I had to wait 7 daze...  LOL!

[BootmanLA]

25 minutes ago, HardOneLA said:

Hey barefootboy, there is no such thing as "ignorance" in asking a question - only in not asking one.  

Technically, in a very real sense, ANY question is an "ignorant" one, unless it's a leading question where you know the answer already but need to have someone else admit it (like when the FBI questions a suspect about something they already have on tape). "Ignorance" refers to "not knowing". Unfortunately, too many people use it to mean "dumb" or "stupid", when it's a neutral term at base that simply means "things I don't know".

[Swampboi]

My doc said it takes around 10 days to build up to full effectiveness. 

[MykBruce]

The PrEP can be taken in two ways.

 In continued: One every day and after 7 day’s you’ll reach full protection of the medication.

Intermitttent: 2-1-1   So 2 pills  24 to 2 hours before and  1 :24 hours after , 1: 48 hours after.

From: vih.org (French site) That is also how my Doc explaned it when I start.

I start with 2 and 24 hours later I was on my knees… Took it avery day and I never stop til last march… ☺️

[funpozbottom]

The best answers to questions on prep are on sites like;  [think before following links] https://www.iwantprepnow.co.uk/how-to-take-prep/

For daily prep, it's recommended to start 7 days before having sex. This gives time to build up adequate protection regardless of the type of sex you are having. It also helps in establishing a routine of taking it daily, and gives time for your body to adjust and work through any initial side effects.

If you are not having regular sex, you can stop it or take it intermittently. Any time you stop prep you should continue for at least 2 days after the last potential exposure although it is highly recommended to continue at least 7 days.

Taking it on an intermittent schedule has the benefit of reduced cost and reduced stress on the body, while maintaining the habit of taking the meds and keeping some level of the meds in your system so when you restart, you are not starting from zero. Two ways to do it is to just take it every other day but the one that gets recommended is to take it on the "T's and S's" so you take it on the the 4 days of the week that start with a T or S. (Don't make me spell them out for you.)

The shortest time to prepare for anal sex is "event based dosing". In this scenario, you take a two pill "loading" dose 2 to 24 hours before sex, and then continue with a single pill daily until you have had at least 2 days without sex, but if you just restarted prep, you'd probably just continue with your daily schedule from there.

[NJGB]

1 hour ago, funpozbottom said:

The shortest time to prepare for anal sex is "event based dosing". In this scenario, you take a two pill "loading" dose 2 to 24 hours before sex, and then continue with a single pill daily until you have had at least 2 days without sex, but if you just restarted prep, you'd probably just continue with your daily schedule from there.

That sounds like really dangerous advice for guys who are only using prep for indiscriminate gangbangs or a night of sluttiness 

[Bttm2go]

On 4/22/2020 at 8:27 AM, MykBruce said:

The PrEP can be taken in two ways.

 In continued: One every day and after 7 day’s you’ll reach full protection of the medication.

Intermitttent: 2-1-1   So 2 pills  24 to 2 hours before and  1 :24 hours after , 1: 48 hours after.

From: vih.org (French site) That is also how my Doc explaned it when I start.

I start with 2 and 24 hours later I was on my knees… Took it avery day and I never stop til last march… ☺️

This is what my doctor told me too. What it really comes down to is what is comfortable for you. If you will feel better taking the pill daily for seven days before having sex, then that’s what you do. 

[drscorpio]

On 4/22/2020 at 5:12 PM, NJGB said:

That sounds like really dangerous advice for guys who are only using prep for indiscriminate gangbangs or a night of sluttiness 

There is solid scientific research to support that this method is just as effective if followed. I choose to take it every day (during non-quarantine times) because I tend to be spontaneous (ie I take dick whenever it's available) and cannot plan ahead. My husband who was much less promiscuous used the intermittent method. He was on PrEP for several years. He died last year of unrelated causes (stroke) still negative. 

Here's a report on the study:
[think before following links] https://www.aidsmap.com/news/dec-2015/ipergay-prep-study-results-published 

[subhole]

and when you are taking lockdown serious without fucking around, you can stop Prep (like me); the good point here is, Prep has - like nearly every medication - to pass the kidneys; the corona medication, that you might have to take (whatever they have to give you, depends on the complications) does that, too; so stoping Prep might release your kidneys from one "unnecessary" medication right now;