What is PrEP? 

PrEP means Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and it’s the use of an anti-HIV drug that shields HIV negative people from getting to be tainted. PrEP is approved by the FDA and has been demonstrated to be protected and effective. A single pill taken once daily, it is highly powerful against HIV when taken each day. The drugs interfere with HIV’s capacity to duplicate copy in your body after you’ve been exposed. This prevents it from building up a disease and making you sick.

PrEP is a pill you can take to protect you from HIV. It is very effective when taken appropriately. 

If you take PrEP correctly, you don’t have to stress over a sexual partner’s HIV status. 

You’re securing your own HIV negative status by taking PrEP. 

What the name PrEP means: 

  • ‘pre’ is something you do a prior risk of exposure (for this case to HIV) 
  • ‘prophylaxis’ is a treatment or move you can make to help prevent disease.

PrEP is different from PEP.

Prep and pep

What goes into PrEP 

One drug is approved for use as PrEP – the branded medication Truvada. 

PrEP is also accessible in generic, unbranded form– these medications are known as generics such as Tafero EM, Tavin EM, and Tenvir EM.

Generics contain the same ingredients as Truvada and work similarly. 

Truvada and the generics contain 2 active drugs: 

  • Tenofovir TDF 
  • Emtricitabine FTC.

Core benefits of PrEP

PrEP is a good thought for you if: 

  • you are HIV negative, and 
  • you engage in sexual relations in a variety of situations where condoms are not easily used or not constantly used.

PrEP is a way to stay negative

PrEP can offer huge advantages in case you’re attempting to keep up your HIV negative status, for whatever reason. 

We know it’s not in every case simple. What’s more, that is alright. PrEP offers another option. 

It offers you strengthening and control, especially in case you’re a receptive partner.

PrEP means you are protecting yourself

Being on PrEP means you don’t need to stress over the status of your partner(s), because of the fact that you’re securing yourself.

What the name PEP means

PrEP is different from PEP, which represents post-exposure prophylaxis. 

  • ‘post’ is something you do after the risk of exposure, for this case to HIV 
  • ‘prophylaxis’ is a treatment or move you can make to help prevent disease. 

Thus, you take PrEP before you take a risk; you take PEP after you have taken risks.

If you take PrEP you won’t need to take PEP.

PEP (also called PEPSE) is a month-long course of HIV medications taken after sex. It can stop the infection by grabbing hold if you have been exposed. You have to begin PEP inside 72 hours (3 days), in a perfect world inside 24 hours. You can get PEP at a sexual health clinic or local A&E office so you can, in any case, get to it at the end of the week and bank holidays.

To get to PEP you should respond to certain questions about the sex you have had and who you engaged in sexual relations with. Not all risky sex acts require the use of PEP. If your sexual partner is living with HIV and is undetectable, you won’t require PEP; if their HIV status is uncertain, and they have a place with a group with high paces of HIV, the specialist will think about putting you on PEP.