What is PrEP (for HIV)?
PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. PrEP is an effective way for people who are HIV-negative to prevent becoming positive. Currently, there are two methods of PrEP – taking a daily pill by mouth and bi-monthly injectable PrEP. Studies show that PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV infection by 92-99% when taken daily.
In some situations, people use non-daily PrEP, also known as 2-1-1 dosing or “on-demand PrEP.”
PrEP does not protect people from any sexually transmitted infections (STIs) other than HIV, like gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and herpes).
Health organizations recommend that for the most effective HIV prevention, people who take PrEP combine it with other prevention strategies – like using condoms, and maintaining an undetectable viral load for sex partners living with HIV
Also, it’s important to note that daily PrEP doesn’t begin working immediately. When you start taking PrEP, talk to your medical provider about how long it will take for your regimen to start protecting you. It can be different if you’re having anal sex or vaginal/front hole sex.
If you intend to stop PrEP, you should keep taking it for at least four weeks after you last had sex or injected drugs.
PrEP is not easily available in every country, but it is being introduced to more and more.
You can read more about PrEP from the World Health Organization or Building Healthy Online Communities.
What is PEP (for HIV)?
PEP stands for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis. PEP prevents HIV infection in people who have been recently exposed to HIV through sex or sharing syringes/works, but only if you start it within 72 hours (3 days). If you are HIV-negative but recently had condomless sex with a person whose HIV status you didn’t know, consider taking PEP to prevent a possible HIV infection.
PEP is a four-week course of HIV medications that prevent HIV infection. In order for PEP to work, it has to be started as soon as possible after the HIV exposure event.
That means if you think you’ve been exposed to HIV, and want to start taking PEP, do so as soon as possible. PEP has to be started within 72 hours (3 days) in order to work.
You can read more about PEP from the AIDSMap or Building Healthy Online Communities.
What is doxyPEP (for STIs)?
DoxyPEP stands for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, a new way to decrease the chance of getting a bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Doxy is shorthand for doxycycline, a common antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. You may have taken it for a skin condition or after you got diagnosed with a bacterial STI in the past.
Post-exposure prophylaxis means that a person receives treatment after an exposure. With doxyPEP, someone can take doxycycline following oral, anal, and vaginal/front hole sex.
DoxyPEP has been shown to prevent three major STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in cisgender men and transgender women who mostly have anal and oral sex. While there is no data yet on doxyPEP for transgender men or cisgender women, those having anal and oral sex should strongly consider it.
DoxyPEP has different efficacy based on the STI it’s preventing and the person’s HIV status. For all three infections, it has an average 65% prevention rate for HIV-negative people and 61% for people living with HIV.
