prep I started PrEP again yesterday.

[Guest]

Hi,

A couple of years ago I tried PrEP for two months, and in the process educated and pissed of a medical 'professional' or two for calling out their biases against homosexuality and gay- and homosexual men.
Because I couldn't handle some trouble sleeping at the time and experiencing feeling mentally more vulnerable as a result; AND because at the time the cost of the pills weren't covered and this was beyond my financial means I stopped.

I am lucky now to - finally - enter the Dutch test-program rolled out through the public sexual health clinics (GGD's) and am now trying again (at € 7.50 a month) and taking it daily on the advice of the doctor I spoke with.
Still feel it's almost criminal that there are people in my country, not being able to use PrEP for any reason, financial ones among them.

 

I'm happy to receive your support on this second try.  💃

Also open to suggestions and advice on preventing having trouble sleeping again.

[pazz41]

Good luck finding a remedy for the sleep problem - thankfully I haven't had that. Here in the UK PrEP is now free.

[Guest]

37 minutes ago, pazz41 said:

Good luck finding a remedy for the sleep problem - thankfully I haven't had that. Here in the UK PrEP is now free.

Note to self / add to To-Do-List:
1. Meet Harry (aka the Duke of Sussex);
2. Cause break-up with current Duchess of Sussex;
3. Fuck Harry's brains out, offer my hole as well; (2 and 3 not necessarily in this order);
4. Become next Duchess / Duke-consort of Sussex by marriage and live in UK where having a third home on the grounds of Windsor Castle added to first two, is apparently considered moving to more modest accommodations, at least when brother-law-to-be Bill does it;
5. Remove this profile and inform MI5 to take out anyone who brings up my shady past.

[Close2MyBro]

3 hours ago, BareLover666 said:

Hi,

A couple of years ago I tried PrEP for two months, and in the process educated and pissed of a medical 'professional' or two for calling out their biases against homosexuality and gay- and homosexual men.
Because I couldn't handle some trouble sleeping at the time and experiencing feeling mentally more vulnerable as a result; AND because at the time the cost of the pills weren't covered and this was beyond my financial means I stopped.

I am lucky now to - finally - enter the Dutch test-program rolled out through the public sexual health clinics (GGD's) and am now trying again (at € 7.50 a month) and taking it daily on the advice of the doctor I spoke with.
Still feel it's almost criminal that there are people in my country, not being able to use PrEP for any reason, financial ones among them.

 

I'm happy to receive your support on this second try.  💃

Also open to suggestions and advice on preventing having trouble sleeping again.

Which medication are you on?

[Guest]

Just now, Close2MyBro said:

Which medication are you on?

Emtricitabine /Tenofovirdisoproxil 200 mg/245 mg. Not Truvada but generic PrEP by a manufacturer called 'Mylan'.
As far as I know there are no possibilities to change brand or kind of med's within the current PrEP test-program here because of the costs paid by to public/government funds.

Started it daily to have less of a shock to the system apposed to using it around sex, and to see how my body reacts now. First check-up in a month. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, BareLover666 said:

gay- and homosexual men.

Should have read: gay- and bisexual men.

[Close2MyBro]

17 minutes ago, BareLover666 said:

Emtricitabine /Tenofovirdisoproxil 200 mg/245 mg. Not Truvada but generic PrEP by a manufacturer called 'Mylan'.
As far as I know there are no possibilities to change brand or kind of med's within the current PrEP test-program here because of the costs paid by to public/government funds.

Started it daily to have less of a shock to the system apposed to using it around sex, and to see how my body reacts now. First check-up in a month. 

How long were you on the first time? Sometimes it takes a long as 30 days for the sleep issues to resolve. What time of day do you take it? It may help to take it in the morning instead of the evening. Also, watch your kidney function closely. I was fine on Truvada for about 5 years and then started to suffer a sudden kidney function decline. They pulled me off and my kidneys partially recovered, but some damage had been done.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Close2MyBro said:

How long were you on the first time? Sometimes it takes a long as 30 days for the sleep issues to resolve. What time of day do you take it? It may help to take it in the morning instead of the evening. Also, watch your kidney function closely. I was fine on Truvada for about 5 years and then started to suffer a sudden kidney function decline. They pulled me off and my kidneys partially recovered, but some damage had been done.

Thanks bro.

First time it was almost two months and I didn't feel the side-effects became less. (With doctors at the time for whom I was their first patient having asked for PrEP).
Started taking it with my evening meal now. Will talk about the possibility of taking it with breakfast instead at my next consultation in a month.
This would have the added benefit that if I forget to take it, I've got a whole day (up to 12 hours) to take it.

Don't think my liver function got tested. I was tested for Hepatitis B and C, as was my kidney function besides being tested for HIV and STD's.
Will also discuss this with the local health clinics here running the national test-PrEP-program.
I've googled it, and your advice to watch out for the liver is also advised by the Dutch Public Health Advisory Body (RIVM), just the same as kidney function is monitored. 

 

[Close2MyBro]

3 hours ago, BareLover666 said:

Thanks bro.

First time it was almost two months and I didn't feel the side-effects became less. (With doctors at the time for whom I was their first patient having asked for PrEP).
Started taking it with my evening meal now. Will talk about the possibility of taking it with breakfast instead at my next consultation in a month.
This would have the added benefit that if I forget to take it, I've got a whole day (up to 12 hours) to take it.

Don't think my liver function got tested. I was tested for Hepatitis B and C, as was my kidney function besides being tested for HIV and STD's.
Will also discuss this with the local health clinics here running the national test-PrEP-program.
I've googled it, and your advice to watch out for the liver is also advised by the Dutch Public Health Advisory Body (RIVM), just the same as kidney function is monitored. 

 

When I went from after dinner to breakfast, the doctor told me to take my normal dinner dose, and then the next morning start taking it after breakfast. The half life of Truvada is only 17 hours so that's why he recommended doing the switch that way, but I'm sure your doctor can advise you what he thinks is best. Most people on any kind of prep or HIV meds are routinely monitored for Kidney and Liver function. Some of the drug combinations hit the liver more than the kidney, and some the kidney more than the liver. After I was moved off of Truvada, they had to put me on a full HIV regiment because there were no other drugs approved solely for 'prep' that didnt affect the kidneys. The combination I'm now now hits the liver almost exclusively but my liver tests have always been fine. I'm not a heavy drinker, and I don't do any other 'recreational' drugs so the doctor says I should be fine with the load being placed on my liver. I've been on this new combo for over 9 years now and liver test have remained stable.

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, Close2MyBro said:

When I went from after dinner to breakfast, the doctor told me to take my normal dinner dose, and then the next morning start taking it after breakfast. The half life of Truvada is only 17 hours so that's why he recommended doing the switch that way, but I'm sure your doctor can advise you what he thinks is best. Most people on any kind of prep or HIV meds are routinely monitored for Kidney and Liver function. Some of the drug combinations hit the liver more than the kidney, and some the kidney more than the liver. After I was moved off of Truvada, they had to put me on a full HIV regiment because there were no other drugs approved solely for 'prep' that didnt affect the kidneys. The combination I'm now now hits the liver almost exclusively but my liver tests have always been fine. I'm not a heavy drinker, and I don't do any other 'recreational' drugs so the doctor says I should be fine with the load being placed on my liver. I've been on this new combo for over 9 years now and liver test have remained stable.

I'm happy you're doing well and thanks again. (Maxed out the amounts of reactions to hand out today).