Prep

[Northstar7]

So any of you out there on PrEP? (I'm sure there's already a topic on this, I just couldn't find it).

I've started it about two weeks ago. What're your guys' thoughts on it? Still have sex with condoms? (Not including the concern for other STD's). Do you have more carefree sex?

 

[erpap]

Never heard of it, what is it?

 

[Northstar7]

You live in NYC and you don't know about PrEP? Wow. I feel like it's advertised everywhere in the gay community over there. Hell, that's where I learned about it.

PrEP is an HIV prevention medication. It's a one-a-day pill. Find out more here: What is PrEP?

 

[erpap]

Thanks for link,

 

[winesthel945]

Yeah, I've been on it about 6 months. The studies still show >90% effectiveness in HIV infection prevention, although there is recent news of the rise of a strain of the virus that appears to be drug resistant.

Studies also show an increasing rate of STIs among both PrEP and non-PrEP users which means you need to keep using condoms. This is very important because of the alarming rise in drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea across the US and around the world.

 

[keenobserver]

There was a news report this week of a confirmed case of a Prep user becoming HIV infected. Clearly it is not a perfect "solution."

 

[winesthel945]

There was a news report this week of a
confirmed case of a Prep user becoming HIV infected. Clearly it is not a perfect "solution."

Condoms aren't perfect either. Nothing is.

While it's easy to blithely dismiss the imperfect, this is a situation where letting "perfect" be the enemy of the ">90%" has real and potentially deadly consequences. That report indicated that the infection occurred from a strain of HIV that is rare but has been seen before and is known to be resistant to all current drug therapies.

The takeaway: HIV is an evolving organism and any means of controlling it will likely always be a work in progress.

 

[KennF]

Being on PReP is certainly more effective than not being on PReP.

 

[Sklar]

Hi Northstar7, I started a thread a few years ago:

Dating someone who is HIV+ and you are not | LPSG

At that time I decided not to go on PrEP but later I changed my mind have been on it since September of 2014.

Sklar

 

[dards44]

What is the average price for a month's supply of the drug?

 

[slurper_la]

First Gay Man to Contract HIV While on PrEP Speaks Out - Towleroad

 

[Sklar]

What is the average price for a month's supply of the drug?

Depends on the insurance. Mine has it as a tier 3 drug. So I pay 30.00 a month for it.

Sklar

 

[winesthel945]

What is the average price for a month's supply of the drug?

If you have to pay out of pocket, it's about $1800/month. Many insurance companies are covering it, though it may be considered a "specialty" drug and you may pay higher co-pays. News of a successful trial of an alternative drug just came out (at the same conference where the new infection was reported) and that might help generate some competitive pressures.

 

[AlexDB9]

Are you guys experiencing any side-effects?

 

[Sklar]

Are you guys experiencing any side-effects?

None. I get tested once a quarter.

Sklar

 

[winesthel945]

Are you guys experiencing any side-effects?

None. I've heard a few people report some mild nausea shortly after taking it on an empty stomach. But taking nearly any medicine on an empty stomach can produce some nausea, and taking Truvada with food is totally fine, even encouraged.

 

[tasty9]

I was going to start a thread on PrEP, but I'm glad I did a search and found this one instead. Nice to see some folks using PrEP. Seems like it will be an important part of HIV prevention. I've been thinking about it myself, but I don't have anal sex often enough to really justify it. I'll probably talk to my doc about it next visit anyway, just to see what he thinks.

If anyone is looking for info on PrEP, here are a couple links:
http://www.whatisprep.org
http://prepfacts.org

 

[slurper_la]

I don't trust anything big pharma does relative to HIV

 

[winesthel945]

I don't trust anything big pharma does relative to HIV

As Neil deGrasse Tyson says: “The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” The science around PrEP is widely studied by independent public health professionals and academics and the success rates are phenomenally high. Being irrationally fearful only hurts yourself.

 

[slurper_la]

As Neil deGrasse Tyson says: “The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” The science around PrEP is widely studied by independent public health professionals and academics and the success rates are phenomenally high. Being irrationally fearful only hurts yourself.

What's that distant echo I hear......? Oh yes, that's what they said about AZT back in the 80s; the drug that killed thousands.

"Science" is NOT what motivates big pharma.

.