PrEP for HIV Prevention

PrEP is a way to help prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. It helps protect you from getting HIV from a partner who may be HIV-positive. The medication used for PrEP is called Truvada® and must be taken daily to be effective. When you use PrEP with condoms and other prevention methods, PrEP works even better and reduces risk for HIV to near zero. PrEP is not a cure for HIV and it doesn’t protect you from other STDs or unplanned pregnancy.

PrEP is an option if:

• Your partner is HIV-positive 
• Your partner is HIV-negative and either you or your partner has sex with someone whose HIV status is unknown
• You have had sex without a condom or been told you have an STD in the past 6 months 
• You are not able to regularly negotiate condom use with a partner
• You have injected drugs in the past 6 months and have shared needles or been in drug treatment for IV drug use in the past 6 months

PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis. PEP is a series of pills you can take after being exposed to HIV to lower your chance of becoming HIV-positive. PEP must be started within 72 hours after exposure to HIV or it won’t work. The sooner you start, the better it works – every hour matters. PEP is taken one to two times a day for at least 28 days. The medicines used in PEP are called antiretroviral medications and work by stopping HIV from spreading through your body.

If you think you have been exposed to HIV, contact us immediately or go to the nearest emergency room.