Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
-
- Tweet
City Care Family Practice
Family Medicine located in Lower Midtown, New York, NY
The appearance of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s left a devastating swath, leaving the medical world to scramble to find ways to fight, and prevent, the disease. Thankfully, much headway has been made, including a preventative strategy called PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis. This daily pill reduces your chances of contracting HIV, and the healthcare providers at Family Care Family Practice encourage its use among their high-risk patients in the Lower Midtown area on the east side of Manhattan, New York. If you’d like to find out more about PrEP, call or book an appointment online.
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
/assets/production/practices/c62a52c134a0284b89f069f30d3181f3852f8ea7/images/2622847.png)
What is PrEP?
PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, is used for people who are at high risk of contracting HIV, even though they’re HIV-negative. The pills work by preventing HIV from developing and spreading in your body.
The pill itself is called Truvada®, and it’s a combination of two drugs -- tenofovir and emtricitabine.
Who should take PrEP?
There are many situations in which your healthcare provider may recommend the PrEP protocol, including:
- You’re sexually active with someone who is HIV-positive
- You have multiple sexual partners and you don’t use condoms
- You’re in a non-monogamous relationship (even if you’re monogamous)
- You’re a gay or bisexual man who has unprotected anal sex
- You’re a gay or bisexual man who’s been diagnosed with an STD
- You inject drugs or share needles
Rest assured, the team at City Care Family Practice is nonjudgmental, as they’d prefer to see every patient safe and healthy no matter the circumstances.
How effective is PrEP?
If taken correctly, PrEP is extremely effective, lowering your risk of getting HIV from sex by 90% or more, and 70% for intravenous drug users.
The importance of taking the pills as prescribed cannot be underscored enough. If you skip pills, your protection rate drops considerably.
PrEP can even be taken by women who are planning on getting pregnant who are at risk of contracting HIV.
Also worth noting is the fact that it often takes several weeks of taking the pills regularly before you gain the full effect of the medicine.
When your provider prescribes this medication, he reviews all of this information with you, and also makes further recommendations for ways you can protect yourself from getting HIV. You should count on being tested every three months for HIV while you’re taking PrEp, which your provider arranges with you.
Are there any side effects with PrEP?
Most patients tolerate the pills well. Some experience some nausea, which tends to dissipate after taking the medication for some time.
If you’d like to explore how PrEp can provide you with some peace of mind when it comes to HIV, call City Care Family Practice, or schedule an appointment using the online form.
