Don’t Let What Ifs Keep You From Living Life.
The good news is there are options to keep you healthy.
The good news is there are options to keep you healthy.
If you’re at risk for HIV, you can prevent acquisition by starting PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). This once-a-day pill or bimonthly shot can help keep you HIV free and free of worry, too.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a drug that prevents HIV infections from unprotected sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by about 99%. You must first have a negative test to start the daily pill or the bimonthly shot.
PrEP only provides protection from HIV, not against other STIs. Condoms are highly recommended as another layer of protection to protect against all STIs.
Yes. PrEP is approved for use by adolescents without HIV who weigh at least 75 pounds (35 kg) and are at risk for getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. You must take PrEP as prescribed for it to work. If you do not take PrEP as prescribed, it may not block the virus effectively.
Taking PrEP only when you are at risk for getting HIV is known as “on-demand” PrEP.
HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE PrEP BEFORE IT IS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE?PrEP is safe but some people experience side effects like diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigue, and stomach pain. These side effects usually go away over time. PrEP reaches maximum protection from HIV for receptive anal sex (bottoming) at about 7 days of daily use. For vaginal sex and injection drug use, PrEP reaches maximum protection after about 21 days of daily use.