About PrEP
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a pill that protects you against HIV. It contains 2 antiviral drugs. It can be 99% effective when it’s taken correctly.
You need to take PrEP before sex for it to be effective. There needs to be a certain level of the medication in your bloodstream for it to work correctly. Many people take PrEP every day. If you only have anal sex, there’s an on-demand option for taking PrEP. This means taking the pills at certain times before and after having sex.
PrEP does not work as treatment for HIV if you already have the virus. In fact, if you’re living with HIV you should not take PrEP. This can cause drug resistance and stop any HIV treatment from working effectively.
How can I get PrEP?
To get prescribed PrEP, you can:
make an appointment with your nearest sexual health clinic - find your nearest clinic
Although most people who want to use PrEP are eligible to get it for free, some people choose to buy it from private online pharmacies.
There are 2 types of PrEP tablets available in the UK. Both types contain a mix of 2 antiretroviral drugs.
The most widely used tablets contain tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine. This is called Truvada, TDF or TDF/FTC. This is the type of PrEP that SH:24 and the NHS offer.
The second type contains tenofovir alafenamide and emtricitabine. It’s known as Descovy, TAF or TAF/FTC. You might be offered this type if you have kidney or bone issues. You can also buy TAF online.
Both types are equally safe and effective. They are taken in the same way.
Is PrEP safe?
PrEP is very safe. It rarely causes any serious health problems. There are some mild side effects that you might experience when you first start taking it, but most people find these do not last longer than a few weeks.
It’s uncommon, but PrEP can cause problems with how well your kidneys work. As a precaution, you’ll need to have your kidney function checked before you start PrEP and regularly while you are taking it. SH:24 or your sexual health clinic can help you with tests to monitor this.
PrEP only gives protection from HIV. Condoms are the only way of preventing other STIs like chlamydia and gonorrhoea. It’s a good idea to do a full screen for STIs every 3 months when you’re taking PrEP.
Regular testing is built into our PrEP service, with at-home test kits sent by post when you need them.
How does PrEP work?
The drugs in PrEP are a type of antiretroviral drug. They have been used safely for years as a part of HIV treatment, in combination with other medications. When taken on their own to prevent HIV, the drugs stop the virus from getting into your cells and spreading.
The anti-HIV drugs in PrEP are called NRTIs (nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors). They work because they block a specific protein that’s part of HIV. This protein, called reverse transcriptase, is what’s needed for the virus to enter your cells, make more HIV and spread inside the body. When this protein is blocked by NRTI drugs like PrEP, HIV cannot take hold and become an infection.
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