My first week on PrEP, what i felt and how i feel

[1000GUYS]

My first week on PrEP was full of anxiety, after years afraid of HIV Test, i still couldnt believe i was HIV negative after years of unsafe sex.,,

My first 3 days I felt some discomfort on my belly, no diarrhea, but discomfort. I felt some gas running my body which caused some pain, it was weird... 

Sometimes i would wake up in the middle of the night thirsty and hungry...

But the most weird thing, was my sex drive going down a little bit, im more concerned about other STI and feel more judgemental about the guys ill let fuck me... i tought i would become a total cumdump, but now some guys really disgust me and turns me off... and i think about quality over quantity

I hope things change and my sex drive go up again, i feel a change in my mind and the way i see things... thats weird

[Guest]

The psychological part is completely normal and relatable. It's exactly the same that happened to me as well, I guess the process of getting prep has changed your way of thinking. Basically you'll have to get urine, blood tests and swabs down your throat and up your butt as long as you'll want your prescription to be renewed. It's only normal that it made you think about how many guys out there don't bother getting a basic STD test not even once a year, check grindr profiles just in case. And we're not even talking about actually getting some STD and the treatment: those injections to treat syphilis are painful! Add the nausea and there's a good recipe for a lowered libido for someone. It's strange to think that a pill to prevent HIV makes you more concerned about diseases overall, but it's something that will gradually go away as the future tests will confirm that prep works. 

 

[Mwfl]

My 3 weeks on Truvada nearly killed me. I got so sick - from bubbly tummy, diarrhea to throwing up and unable to keep water or food down. At week 4 I had lost 30 Lbs (240Lb at 6ft4 prior to starting) I was sick a dog and finally thought fuck it, Truvada is going to kill me Vs HIV so sacked it off. This was before Discovy was approved but my god - I’ve never ever been so sick at 32. Truvada either works for you or doesn’t. For me it damn near killed me.

[barefootboy]

1 hour ago, Mwfl said:

My 3 weeks on Truvada nearly killed me. I got so sick - from bubbly tummy, diarrhea to throwing up and unable to keep water or food down. At week 4 I had lost 30 Lbs (240Lb at 6ft4 prior to starting) I was sick a dog and finally thought fuck it, Truvada is going to kill me Vs HIV so sacked it off. This was before Discovy was approved but my god - I’ve never ever been so sick at 32. Truvada either works for you or doesn’t. For me it damn near killed me.

I have heard of that happening before. I saw that same experience on a post from “TwinkFoot” who is here on BZ. I have been taking PrEP for years and the only thing I experienced is dry mouth and a slightly reduced sex drive. Everyone reacts differently to various drugs so you just have to assess and do what is right for you. I’m sorry you have been so sick. I hate being sick and I’m just a big baby when I do get sick. 😭

[Guest Dauthisoul]

Thank you for this! Ive been curious what the first week/month would be like

[Close2MyBro]

My advice for anyone on prep is to watch your kidney function carefully. After 5 years of Truvada, my kidney function started a rapid decline that continued for about a year before I finally demanded to be seen by a nephrologist. He took me off of ALL of my medications for a month including the Truvada and my kidney function slowly started to bounce back. He had my doctor take me off Truvada altogether and put me on a more kidney friendly drug regiment that was not a normal course of Prep. It took almost two years for my kidneys to return to barely in the normal range and they've been bouncing slightly in and out of normal range since. I understand that there is a class action lawsuit against Gilead because they knew of the danger of Truvada to kidneys and also because they had a more kidney-safe version developed but didn't want to release it before the patent on Truvada ran out. I'm posting this for everyone because as I mentioned, my kidney function was pretty stable until the sudden and rapid decline, so keep an eye on your labs.

[Kimberley]

On 1/28/2021 at 2:47 AM, Close2MyBro said:

My advice for anyone on prep is to watch your kidney function carefully.

Kidney function has to be checked every 3 months. This is the standard procedure for anyone on prep (Netherlands/EU laws)