Excited to start

[Squiggly8]

I just got my notification that everything has been completed and the prescription sent to the pharmacy from heymistr. I am excited to start prep, I’ve always been too apprehensive to BB especially anon. I went to the bathhouse a couple times, but each time left feeling frustrated I couldn’t let go and enjoy myself. 
 

That all changes soon enough. Hopefully very soon you can find me in club orlando one weekend in the sling with cum  flooding my hole. 

[Surlier]

You’ll never look back! 🐖 

[str8mature5]

You'll love barebacking !

[hntnhole]

Thanks so much for taking the precautions before taking the loads shooting your way soon.  Guys like me need guys like you.  Congrats.

[Squiggly8]

First dose down the hatch. T-minus 7 days, can’t wait for that first load. 

[TripA84]

Yes,  I was the same way for the longest time. Once I got Prep I was no longer fearful. I also hear for extra protection you can take two right before you have sex and one 24 hours later.

[BootmanLA]

6 hours ago, TripA84 said:

Yes,  I was the same way for the longest time. Once I got Prep I was no longer fearful. I also hear for extra protection you can take two right before you have sex and one 24 hours later.

Your information is faulty. That is not "for extra protection". That is PART (but only PART) of the routine you can follow as an alternative to daily use. 

This method is called "on demand" PrEP - the idea is to lessen the number of pills you have to take, IF you are not having sex more than once or twice in a week.

When you use the "on demand" method, you take two pills anywhere from 2 to 24 hours before you have sex. Not "right before", because they don't have time to spread through your system before you come in contact with HIV. 2 hours seems to be the minimum time needed for the pills to spread through your body, but the effect begins to diminish pretty significantly after 24 hours, so you can't wait more than that for sex.

Once you do have sex - in that 2 to 24 hour window after the first dose - you take a single pill 24 hours after the first dose, and ANOTHER pill 24 hours after that. In total, you take 4 pills over the period in question. By that point, the HIV will have been unable to get a foothold in your system and start replicating, and the virus is short-lived, so you're past the infection point.

But note the timing - between the first dose and the last may only be a period of 2 days or slightly longer, during which you're taking four pills, or twice the usual daily dosage. If you have sex twice during a week and you use this method, you're already taking 8 pills, or one more than a "daily" dose would require. Having sex a third time - which is hardly unusual for many of us - means you'd be better off just taking one pill each day.

Because while these meds are generally safe, they can have side effects. Some of those side effects may take months or years to present themselves, after a long period of use. So limiting intake to the minimum needed to protect yourself is key.

So, to recap: if you have sex on average only once or twice a week, or if you regularly go a week or more without sex, the 2-1-1 dosing of "on demand" PrEP may be a workable, better choice for you. If you have sex at least twice a week and occasionally more often? Stick with daily dosing and just try to make it automatic.

[Squiggly8]

11 hours ago, BootmanLA said:

Your information is faulty. That is not "for extra protection". That is PART (but only PART) of the routine you can follow as an alternative to daily use. 

This method is called "on demand" PrEP - the idea is to lessen the number of pills you have to take, IF you are not having sex more than once or twice in a week.

When you use the "on demand" method, you take two pills anywhere from 2 to 24 hours before you have sex. Not "right before", because they don't have time to spread through your system before you come in contact with HIV. 2 hours seems to be the minimum time needed for the pills to spread through your body, but the effect begins to diminish pretty significantly after 24 hours, so you can't wait more than that for sex.

Once you do have sex - in that 2 to 24 hour window after the first dose - you take a single pill 24 hours after the first dose, and ANOTHER pill 24 hours after that. In total, you take 4 pills over the period in question. By that point, the HIV will have been unable to get a foothold in your system and start replicating, and the virus is short-lived, so you're past the infection point.

But note the timing - between the first dose and the last may only be a period of 2 days or slightly longer, during which you're taking four pills, or twice the usual daily dosage. If you have sex twice during a week and you use this method, you're already taking 8 pills, or one more than a "daily" dose would require. Having sex a third time - which is hardly unusual for many of us - means you'd be better off just taking one pill each day.

Because while these meds are generally safe, they can have side effects. Some of those side effects may take months or years to present themselves, after a long period of use. So limiting intake to the minimum needed to protect yourself is key.

So, to recap: if you have sex on average only once or twice a week, or if you regularly go a week or more without sex, the 2-1-1 dosing of "on demand" PrEP may be a workable, better choice for you. If you have sex at least twice a week and occasionally more often? Stick with daily dosing and just try to make it automatic.

This method would probably suit me better but I was prescribed descovy which has no data for on demand use. No sense risking it. 

[fskn]

Congratulations on starting Descovy for HIV PrEP, @Squiggly8! Please continue to share your experiences here. Most people have mild or no side effects upon starting oral PrEP. As others have said, some people feel less anxious about sex.

You are correct that intermittent dosing with Descovy has not yet been studied (whereas it has been studied, and found to be effective, with Truvada).

- - -

For others who will read this in the future, once again, Descovy for HIV PrEP is daily, and Truvada (or generic) for HIV PrEP is either daily or intermittent. Someone who takes Truvada daily will never take 2 pills in 1 day.

I'd also like to clear up an error that was made describing intermittent Truvada dosing. "2-1-1" does not imply a fixed 4-pill, 3-day cycle. Instead, the numbers are minima. The regimen is:

• 2 Truvada pills, 24 to 2 hours before sex

• 1 Truvada pill per day thereafter, up to and including 2 days after the final sexual encounter

For example, if a person using intermittent Truvada has sex on 2 consecutive days, the person doesn't repeat the 2-pill loading dose. The pattern becomes 2-1-1-1 in this case, for a total of 5 pills over 4 days.

But this was the big error: a person using intermittent Truvada will never take 8 pills in a week from repeating the 2-pill loading dose. If fewer than 7 days pass between the last pill and a new encounter, the person resumes taking 1 pill per day, rather than taking another 2-pill loading dose. As always, the person then continues taking 1 pill a day up to and including 2 days after the final sexual encounter.

Page 56 of the updated (2021) US CDC PrEP guidelines explains:

"• If sex occurs on the consecutive day after completing the 2-1-1 doses, take 1 pill per day until 48 hours after the last sexual event.
• If a gap of <7 days occurs between the last pill and the next sexual event, resume 1 pill daily.
• If a gap of ≥7 days occurs between the last pill and next sexual event, start again with 2 pills."

[think before following links] https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/risk/prep/cdc-hiv-prep-guidelines-2021.pdf

The choice of daily versus intermittent Truvada for HIV PrEP isn't about minimizing the average number of pills taken. It's about factors such as patient preference, the frequency of dry spells, the possibility of planning, and the willingness to follow a variable regimen.

Edited March 8, 2022 by fskn

[BBArchangel]

I have been using Descovy slightly more than a year now. I started out on Truvada, but my physician switched me over, not because of any problem, but because of some possible problems with Truvada. I am quite happy with  daily Descovy,  and getting tested every three months pretty much insures that if problems or side effects start to occur they will be caught in time.
 

I don’t know how HEY MISTER works, but I want my face to Face time with a physician whom I trust and who knows me and cares about my health.

Edited March 8, 2022 by BBArchangel
Typo

[PozBearWI]

5 hours ago, BBArchangel said:

I have been using Descovy slightly more than a year now. I started out on Truvada, but my physician switched me over, not because of any problem, but because of some possible problems with Truvada. I am quite happy with  daily Descovy,  and getting tested every three months pretty much insures that if problems or side effects start to occur they will be caught in time.
 

I don’t know how HEY MISTER works, but I want my face to Face time with a physician whom I trust and who knows me and cares about my health.

I've been on Descovy for six months now.  Starting had not side effects that I noticed.  And I agree, I like my in person time with my provider.  

[hntnhole]

5 hours ago, BBArchangel said:

but I want my face to Face time with a physician whom I trust and who knows me and cares about my health

Well said.  I use an md who's knowledge about gay men's sexual proclivities are not only from an excellent medical school, but also from his own proclivities.  I seldom hit the tubs, but any number of times when I do, I see him there, taking loads with the best of them.  And no, I haven't.  

[leaker30]

On demand can work but it still is much more reliable just to take 1 a day and know you are protected. I take mine each night before bed after brushing my teeth. Easy that way not to forget or have to carry them anywhere since they are already in the bathroom

[evilalex]

On 2/17/2022 at 8:32 AM, Squiggly8 said:

I just got my notification that everything has been completed and the prescription sent to the pharmacy from heymistr. I am excited to start prep, I’ve always been too apprehensive to BB especially anon. I went to the bathhouse a couple times, but each time left feeling frustrated I couldn’t let go and enjoy myself. 
 

That all changes soon enough. Hopefully very soon you can find me in club orlando one weekend in the sling with cum  flooding my hole. 

That hole's getting fucked so much man. Make sure to share photos 😉 

[BiCurious100]

On 2/17/2022 at 12:32 PM, Squiggly8 said:

I just got my notification that everything has been completed and the prescription sent to the pharmacy from heymistr. I am excited to start prep, I’ve always been too apprehensive to BB especially anon. I went to the bathhouse a couple times, but each time left feeling frustrated I couldn’t let go and enjoy myself. 
 

That all changes soon enough. Hopefully very soon you can find me in club orlando one weekend in the sling with cum  flooding my hole. 

Any side effects?  How are you finding taking PrEP?   Recommend?