PEP in your step, PrEP for the Future.

Hello Boys, Bois, and Otherwise! It is time for some more FIERCE information. Today we are going to talk about PEP & PrEP. No these are not cheerleaders and yuppies, these are some HIV prevention methods. One has been approved and the other in clinical trials.

I have had some questions about PEP and PrEP, so here is my attempt to answer the questions. Remember that I am not a Doctor…nor would want me to yours! PEP is a medication that only a Doctor can prescribe.

What is PEP?

PEP stands for Post Exposure Prophylaxis. This means that it is something that you take after you have come in contact with HIV. It is a 28 day regiment that needs to be taken with in the first 72 hours after exposure (the sooner the better.) PEP was initially given to healthcare workers after needle-sick injuries.

PEP is only available through your healthcare provider. There are some guidelines that physicians have to follow when administering PEP. PEP is not a cure for HIV, nor is it 100% effective. There are also some side effects with these medication including, diarrhea, headaches, nausea and vomiting. These side effects should stop once you have finished taking the drugs.

Some other information you should know about PEP is that there may be a scheduled time that you must take these pills. So it may require a small lifestyle change at the time you are taking the medication. Again this is a discussion that you must have with a healthcare provider. Please do not try to administer PEP by yourself; there are specific dosages and contraindication with these drugs.

A little note on street drugs and HIV medications: First there are limited to No studies done on the effects of street drugs and HIV Medication. There could be a severe reaction if you choose to use both of them at the same time. If you are using drugs make sure you tell your doctor and find another plan to keep you safe.

For More information here is an article about PEP from avert.org:
http://www.avert.org/pep-prep-hiv.htm

What is Prep?

As you could probably figure it out, PrEP is Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. This means it would be taken before coming into contact with HIV. At this time PrEP is only in clinical trials throughout the world. We do not have any concrete evidence that this will work.

What this means to us is that if we find that PrEP works and is effective, there may be a once a day pill you can take to prevent infection. Here are some of the questions that still have to be answered:

1) If you take this how effective will this be?
2) Knowing that no method of prevention (sans Abstinence) is not 100% effective, what does this mean for medication efficacy? (or if you get HIV will current medications work?)
3) Is this going to be available to everyone and how much?

Like I said the research is being conducted and a lot more done. I DO NOT advise anyone to conduct their own research (i.e. taking this on their own). Like many medications there could be some serious consequence. Let the experts do the research and tell us what is going on. If you want to follow this research you can go to www.prepwatch.org.


avert.org, (2009, August 21). Post Exposure Prophylaxis and Using Treatment as Prevention. Retrieved September 8, 2009, from avert.org Web site: http://www.avert.org/pep-prep-hiv.htm

prepwatch.org, (2007). PrEP Watch: Basic. Retrieved September 8, 2009, from PrEP Watch Web site: http://www.prepwatch.org/basics.htm