Can You Get Hiv If You Are On Prep

Tests To Have Regularly While Taking Prep

Regular monitoring is important. Every three to four months you should have:

• HIV: fourth-generation blood test, able to detect antibodies and p24 antigen
• Kidney function: test for protein in urine
• Sexually transmitted infections.

Once a year you should have:

• Kidney function: test for creatinine and eGFR in blood.

Your sexual health clinic should be able to provide these tests. Sexual health clinics in some of the larger cities may have more experience of supporting people with PrEP.

If your clinic seems unwilling to help, you could try asking to see a consultant . It might be helpful to show staff the British HIV Association and British Association for Sexual Health and HIV s Position Statement on PrEP in the UK. This gives clinicians information on how they can support people using PrEP.

Prep Failure Or Test Failure

There is no reason to suspect PrEP failure in this case. The patient disclosed high-risk sex up to the time he started PrEP, including in the week between his first and second negative HIV tests. The most likely scenario is that he was infected a few days before starting PrEP or even the day or two afterwards, at the time PrEP drug levels were reaching maximum.

However, while this does not point to PrEP failure, it certainly points to test failure or at least a poor ability to detect HIV infection in a context where someone has just started PrEP. Our current tests may not be sufficiently sensitive or discriminating to detect HIV infection when the levels of HIV antigens and RNA may be suppressed by PrEP, and the resultant antibody response to them is very weak.

Prep Facts: Introduction & Faq Learn More About Pre

PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a prescription medicine that you take before you come in contact with HIV that will prevent HIV infection. There are two medications approved for PrEP: Truvada and Descovy, plus a generic version of Truvada. These medications are highly effective when taken as prescribed, and are very safe and generally well-tolerated by most people.

Anyone can use PrEP to prevent HIV infection. If condoms arent or cant be used during sex, or if using clean syringes is not possible, then taking PrEP is an effective way to help prevent HIV. PrEP does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy.

In this series of articles well introduce you to the basic facts about PrEP:

Frequently asked questions about PrEP

There are no known interactions between the two. Taking PrEP outside the times you drink can help you avoid missing doses.

Recreational drugs are not known to interact with either Truvada PrEP or Descovy PrEP. Both medicines belong to a class of HIV meds called NRTIs that generally do not interact with drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or MDMA. Search the HIV Drug Interaction website for more information.

No cases of this kind of transmission have been reported. PrEP stops HIV from reproducing in the body, so it cant establish an infection and eventually dies. If your partner has sex with someone living with HIV with a detectable viral load, they will not pass on HIV to you.

More PrEP Facts:

Recommended Reading: Does Hiv Cause Hair Loss

Cases Of Hiv Seroconversion On Prep With Verified Adherence

Who Can Use Prep

PrEP isnt right for everybody. PrEP is for people who dont have HIV, and are at higher risk for getting HIV. You may want to talk with a doctor or nurse about PrEP if you:

• Dont regularly use condoms.

• Have a sexual partner who has HIV .

• Have a sexual partner who is at high risk for getting HIV .

• Have anal or vaginal sex with many partners, especially if you dont use condoms regularly.

• Recently had another STD .

• Do sex work that includes vaginal or anal sex.

• Have injected drugs, shared needles, or been in treatment for drug use in the past 6 months.

If youre at high risk for HIV and youre pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding, PrEP may also help you and your baby avoid getting HIV.

Your doctor or nurse will talk with you about your situation to figure out if PrEP is right for you. Its important to be honest so you can get the best health care for you doctors and nurses are there to help, not judge. The more accurate information they have, the better they can help you.

PrEP isnt the same thing as PEP . PEP is a short-term treatment for people whove already been exposed to HIV within the past 72 hours. PrEP is an ongoing daily pill for people who may be exposed to HIV in the future.

You May Like: Atlanta Hiv Statistics 2016

Prep: Protection Against Hiv In A Pill

• By Meera Sunder, MBBS, MRCOG, Contributor

HIV weakens the human immune system and destroys the important cells that fight disease and infection. A person can get HIV when bodily fluids including blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, rectal fluids, or vaginal fluids of a person with the virus come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue. HIV can be transmitted through breast milk, or when a contaminated needle or syringe comes into direct contact with the bloodstream.

There is no cure for HIV, but with proper medical care the virus and its effects can be controlled. HIV transmission can be reduced by consistent use of condoms and clean needles. However, another way to protect against getting HIV is pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

Who Is Prep For

PrEP is for HIV-negative people at risk of HIV infection. Such as:

• Men who have sex with men without using a condom.
• Having a sexual partner who is HIV-positive and not on treatment or they are at high risk of getting HIV.
• You are sexually active and inconsistently use condoms.

PrEP isnt necessarily for everyone and is a personal choice. Your circumstances and your risk of being exposed to HIV should all play a role in deciding whether PrEP is right for you.

Speak with your doctor to see if PrEP is your best option to prevent HIV.

Don’t Miss: How Long Can Hiv Lay Dormant

How Do I Access Prep

PrEP was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from 1 April 2018.TheAustralian Government subsidises the cost of the PrEP, making it more affordable for people who need it.

All GPs in Australia can prescribe PrEP. If you have a Medicare card, it can be purchased at a subsidised cost from all retail pharmacies, with a valid prescription.

If you do not have a Medicare card, or cannot afford the subsidised cost, PrEP can be imported through online pharmacies. More information is available from PAN or the Victorian PrEP Service at the Alfred Hospital on .

If your doctor is unfamiliar with PrEP or whats involved in prescribing it, they can call the Victorian PrEP Service at Alfred Hospital, on .

Tattoos And Body Piercings

• There are no known cases in the United States of anyone getting HIV this way.
• However, it is possible to get HIV from tattooing or body piercing if the equipment used for these procedures has someone elses blood in it or if the ink is shared. This is more likely to happen when the person doing the procedure is unlicensed because of the potential for unsanitary practices such as sharing needles or ink.
• If you get a tattoo or a body piercing, be sure that the person doing the procedure is properly licensed and that they use only new or sterilized needles, ink, and other supplies.

Recommended Reading: How To Find Out If Someone Has Hiv Aids

Is The Prep Medication Effective For Treating Hiv Infection

PrEP medications are not effective alone for treating HIV infection. If you acquire HIV infection while taking PrEP, the provider who conducted the HIV test should either provide HIV medical care or refer you to a healthcare provider who can provide HIV care. The HIV care provider will conduct lab tests and determine the most effective regimen to treat your HIV infection. There is no evidence that having taken PrEP will impact the effectiveness of your HIV treatment. People who acquire HIV while on PrEP can be successfully treated with HIV medications.

Ready Set Prep Expands Access To Hiv Prevention Medications

The Ready, Set, PrEP program provides free PrEP HIV-prevention medications to thousands of people living in the United States including tribal lands and territories who qualify. It expands access to PrEP medications to help reduce the number of new HIV transmissions and bring us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.

More than 1 million people in the United States could benefit from PrEP medications, but less than one-third of them are taking it. To address a cost barrier for some individuals who might otherwise wish to use PrEP, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched Ready, Set, PrEP in December 2019, as an integral part of the federal effort to end HIV in the United States.

Read Also: Can You Get Hiv From Dried Blood

What Else Do I Need To Know About Being On Prep

Once youre on PrEP, youll need to go back to your doctor or nurse at least every 3 months to get tested for HIV. Theyll talk with you about any side effects or symptoms you may be having. They may also test you for other STDs, and test you to make sure your kidneys are working well. If pregnancy is possible for you, you might get a pregnancy test too.

Its really important to go to these follow-up appointments to make sure youre healthy and HIV-free. Its really unlikely youll get HIV if youre using PrEP consistently. But if you do happen to get HIV while using PrEP, its important for your health to stop using PrEP right away. PrEP is not a treatment for HIV in fact, taking PrEP when you have HIV can actually make the virus harder to treat.

Are There Any Other Hiv Prevention Options

There are many easy and effective ways to prevent HIV. Other than PrEP, HIV transmission can also be prevented by:

• Using condoms with water or silicone-based lubricant during anal or vaginal sex.
• Although there is a low risk of HIV transmission during oral sex, using male condoms on penises or dental dams on vulvas and anuses. This can also help to reduce the risk of other STIs from being passed on.
• Using clean, sterile injecting equipment.
• Achieving and maintaining undetectable HIV viral loads if you are HIV-positive by taking HIV antiretroviral treatment as prescribed.
• Getting regular sexual health checks.
• Taking post-exposure prophylaxis if you have potentially been exposed to HIV.

Depending on your risk factors and life circumstances, you may be more suited to other HIV prevention methods. It is important to find the right prevention method, or combination of methods, that works for you and your sexual partners.

Speak to your GP or sexual health clinician for more information.

has more information on PrEP.

Don’t Miss: Can You Get Hiv From Dried Blood

Why Should I Take Prep Medication

PrEP medications allow those at risk for HIV to take control of their health and reduce their risk. If you are at risk of HIV exposure through sex or injection drug use, ask a health care professional if PrEP is right for you. PrEP medications only protect against HIV, so condoms are still important to prevent other sexually transmitted infections.

How Effective Is Prep

If you use it correctly, PrEP can lower your chances of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%. And using condoms and PrEP together helps you stay even safer. PrEP can also lowers your chances of getting HIV from sharing needles by more than 70%.

Its really important to take PrEP every day. PrEP doesnt work as well if you skip pills. If you dont take it every day, there might not be enough medicine in your body to block HIV.

PrEP doesnt prevent other sexually transmitted infections, like gonorrhea and chlamydia. So use condoms along with PrEP to help you avoid other STDs and give you extra protection against HIV.

Recommended Reading: Does Nba Youngboy Have Hiv

Simple Steps To Prevent Hiv

HIV prevention is not just about following rules. It’s about knowing who you are, what you believe, and when to act in order to protect yourself and others from infection.

It requires an informed, holistic approachone that enables you to do more than just roll the dice, but to understand the very dynamics of infection and ways to prevent it from happening.

With a little work, you can build an effective, individualized HIV-prevention strategy.

Ready Set Prep Helps End Hiv In The United States

Ready, Set, PrEP makes free PrEP medications available nationwide, and is a key component of efforts to end HIV in the United States. Together we can reduce the number of new HIV transmissions in the United States by 75% by 2025 and by at least 90% by 2030.

Over the next 10 years, up to 200,000 people per year can benefit from receiving PrEP medications through this program. Ready, Set, PrEP will expand access to PrEP medications, reduce new HIV infections, and bring us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Don’t Miss: Does Nba Youngboy Have An Std

Where To Get Prep

PrEP is now available free on the NHS in England from sexual health clinics.

Initially, PrEP was made available to 10,000 people in England as part of the IMPACT trial, which ended in July 2020.

In Scotland, PrEP is available through sexual health clinics. Visit the PrEPScot website to find out more information about how to access it.

In Wales, PrEP is available through sexual health clinics. For more information, see the Public Health Wales website.

All GUM clinics in Northern Ireland will be offering initial consultation and assessment appointments for a pilot trial, based at a centralised service in Belfast. This project will run for 2 years. There is currently no cap on numbers.

Quote text

Taking PrEP has enabled me to trust again, have relationships and build bridges.

In clinical trials PrEP has been used in two different ways:

• taken regularly .
• only taken when needed .

This second method is often called on-demand or event based dosing.

Both methods have been shown to be very effective, although on-demand dosing has only been studied in gay and bisexual men.

Daily dosing is recommended for women who need to take PrEP every day for seven days to be protected against HIV.

Daily PrEP is recommended for all trans people using hormone treatment as there isnt sufficient data to support other dosing options.

What Are The Other Possible Side Effects Of Truvada For Prep

Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include:

• Kidneyproblems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA.
• Too much lactic acid in your blood , which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.
• Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.
• Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.

Common side effects in people taking TRUVADA for PrEP are headache, stomach-area pain, and decreased weight. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

Read Also: How Long Can Hiv Go Undetected

Can You Take Prep If You Are Hiv Positive

No. PrEP is a once-daily pill that is designed to reduce the risk of HIV before you are exposed to it. It does not treat HIV and should not be used if you have already tested positive for HIV. However, if you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, you may be able to take a similar type of medication, referred to as PEP , for a month to reduce the likelihood of being infected.

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It is designed for those who are not living with HIV and would like to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. There are two brand name medications for PrEP: Truvada, which received approval from the FDA in 2012 for HIV prevention, and Descovy, which was approved in 2019. There is also a generic PrEP medication, emtricitibane/tenofovir diproxil, that is now available. All of these medications containemtricitabine and tenofovir, which can work together to dramatically reduce your chance of contracting HIV.

If you are HIV positive, its important to begin treatment with your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Although PrEP isnt the treatment for you, a number of options are available that can reduce your viral load .