What is PrEP

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine that reduces your chances of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.

Are there different types of PrEP?

PrEP can be pills or shots; There are two pills approved for use as PrEP: Truvada® and Descovy®.

Truvada® is for people at risk through sex or injection drug use.

Descovy® is for people at risk through sex. Descovy is not for people assigned female at birth who are at risk for HIV through receptive vaginal sex.

Apretude® is the only shot approved for use as PrEP. Apretude is for people at risk through sex who weigh at least 77 pounds (35 kg).

Can I switch from pills to shots?

Talk to your health care provider about switching from PrEP pills to shots. PrEP shots may be right for you if you do not have HIV and have no known allergy to the medicines in the shot.

If you decide to switch from PrEP pills to shots, you’ll need to visit your health care provider regularly to receive your shot. You’ll also need to be tested for HIV prior to each PrEP shot.

Is PrEP safe?

PrEP is safe, but some people experience side effects like diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigue, and stomach pain. These side effects usually go away over time.

How effective is PrEP?

PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.

• PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed.

• Although there is less information about how effective PrEP pills are among people who inject drugs, we know that PrEP pills reduce the risk of getting HIV by at least 74% when taken as prescribed. Currently, PrEP shots are not recommended for people who inject drugs.

• PrEP is less effective when not taken as prescribed.

How long does PrEP take to work?

• For receptive anal sex (bottoming), PrEP pills reach maximum protection from HIV at about 7 days of daily use.

• For receptive vaginal sex and injection drug use, PrEP pills reach maximum protection at about 21 days of daily use.

• No data are available for PrEP pill effectiveness for insertive anal sex (topping) or insertive vaginal sex.

• We don’t know how long it takes for PrEP shots to reach maximum protection during sex.