Pep - Have you tried it?
-
Hi Have you tried it? I used it once when a condom burst. In the UK its available on the NHS. Not the most pleasant experience but not a horror story like lots of people have said
-
It's very simple to get a prescription for it, that is if you have an established physician. In a case you don't, there are lots of free or state health clinics that will see you for free if you don't have insurance. Preferred PEP treatment currently is Truvada (tablet once daily) plus Isentress 400mg (tablet twice daily) or Stribild (tablet once daily). Most common side effects (from what I hear my patients say) are fatigue and gas - Truvada, and diarrhea - Isentress. Those usually disappear after the first or two weeks. If people do not have insurance, Stribild is usually the drug of choice as the Gilead copay card covers the medication completely (twice per year - $6000 yearly maximum) - or there is another option - Gilead Advancing Access. Stribild can have side effects of Truvada plus possible weird dreams. Most patients don't really complain of any symptoms though.
I do not understand why it would be a horror story, unless we are talking about the action that leads to getting PEP.
-
I think one of (or both of) the two of you may be a little confused. There is a HUGE difference between PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) and PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). The big difference is:
PrEP: This is what is used as the pre-exposure to HIV medication. The other common drug that is used is Prezista, which is similar to the old 3TC medication. The Prezista is commonly used as a secondary follow up (or morning after pill) to the Truvada before exposure, however is more often used as a PEP
PEP: This is the term used for the treatment that is used post-seroconversion. Among these many drugs include Truvada and Prezista, however this is the category in which you will find all the other HIV medications listed in. They're specifically for post-exposure use. This is very different than the use of Truvada as a pre-exposure prevention.
All this being said, which of the two exactly are we talking about here?
-
I used it once. The only issue was that I had drug allergy to Prezista and Norvir so we had to swap these a week after I started treatment.
-
If you have a resistance to Prezista and/or Norvir, you may be better off to go with Insentress instead. It's much more effective, and has fewer side effects.
