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PrEP FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions about PrEP answered here by PULSE CLINIC, Asia's leading clinic on sexual health and travel medicine.
Written by Dr.Deyn Natthakhet Yaemim (Founding Director) on 6 June 2016, Last updated 20 January 2023
For more information about the medication and ordering process,
please email pulseliving@pulse-clinic.com or chat on your preferred platform.
+66-84-226-2569 @pulserx PulseClinic
PrEP means Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and it’s the use of anti-HIV medication that keeps HIV negative people from becoming infected. PrEP has been shown to be safe and effective. A single pill taken once daily, it is highly effective against HIV when taken every day. The medication interferes with HIV’s ability to copy itself in your body if you’ve been exposed. This prevents it from establishing an infection and making you sick.
Yes, even though there is more risk of bottoming, tops can also acquire HIV. Uncircumcised tops have a slightly greater chance again. It's very true that people can also experience anxiety about acquiring HIV. Being on PrEP certainly helps with that.
You should consider PrEP if you are a man or woman who sometimes has sex without using a condom, especially if you have a sex partner who you know has HIV infection, if you don’t know whether your partner has HIV infection but you know that your partner is at risk (for example, if your partner inject drugs or is having sex with other people in addition to you) or if you have recently been told by a health care provider that you had a sexually transmitted infection. If your partner has HIV infection, PrEP could be an option to help protect you from getting HIV infection while you try to get pregnant, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.
Truvada for PrEP provides 92%-99% reduction in HIV risk for HIV-negative individuals who take the pills every day as directed. If a daily dose is missed, the level of HIV protection may decrease. It only works if you take it. People who use PrEP correctly and consistently have higher levels of protection against HIV.
According to data analysis from the iPrEx study that found PrEP to be effective:
The world's first approved PrEP, was the one blue pill branded drug Truvada or its generic equivalent made in Thailand such as Teno-Em, made in India such as Ricovir-Em and Tenof-Em. Generics contain the same ingredients as branded drugs and work in the same way. Buy PrEP online here.
Truvada and the generics contain two drugs: Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF), Emtricitabine (FTC)
Nowaday, a second pill has been approved for use as PrEP – the branded drug Descovy or its generic equivalent, they contain:
Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF), Emtricitabine (FTC). You can buy generics Descovy when you have prescription.
PrEP was approved in 2004, so it’s been around for more than a decade. Before it was used as PrEP, it was used as treatment for people infected with HIV or exposed to HIV (it contains molecules that are used in HIV drugs). The worst side effects that have been reported are one percent bone mineral density loss and reduced kidney function. Is it safe? Yes. To put it into perspective, they can't tell if it's any worse than just getting older. People in the USA have been taking it for years. Your doctor will check your liver and kidney function as well as a HIV/STI screening every three months to make sure you're ok. It's a normal part of getting your updated script each time. If you are concerned about any effect from taking PrEP then chat with your doctor.
There are many ways to take PrEP, How to take PrEP?
Once started, you can stop. You can re-start again. You don't have to take it forever.
Current studies are showing that PrEP works well even if you miss a dose. It was shown that users who took PrEP at least 4 days out of 7 hadn't acquired HIV. We strongly, and I mean STRONGLY, recommend that you stick to one pill a day though. That gives maximum protection. If you're not consistent then that's where you can miscalculate and undo all your good work. So one pill a day keeps everybody happy, secure and safe.
A recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that urges doctors to prescribe a daily pill for all people with known risk factors for HIV could significantly raise awareness about an effective yet little used drug.
PrEP may be right for you if you test negative for HIV, and any of the following apply to you:
You have had anal or vaginal sex in the past 6 months and you
You inject drugs and you
You have been prescribed PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and you
Trust PULSE CLINIC to take care of your health like other 45000 people from over 130 countries. We provide discreet professional service with high privacy. Here to help, not to judge.
If condoms work for you, absolutely continue to use them! But because it is a fact that condoms do fail, you can still take PrEP for double protection.
If someone who doesn‘t use condoms, but takes PrEP to protect themselves from HIV, that‘s already quite something! And also, for a new PrEP prescription you have to go to see your doctor every three months, where they will test not just for HIV but other STIs as well. With PrEP, people engaging in high-risk behavior would go to see a doctor regularly and other STIs would be detected and treated early. This might even reduce the spread of other STIs.
Even when condoms are used consistently, they can fail. With the low number of HIV cases among people actively taking PrEP we are now talking about greater than 99 percent effectiveness, in other words, the pill is more effective at preventing HIV than condoms.
Yes. If you are anxious about situations like condoms breaking, slipping off, not being applied correctly or doing head jobs without a condom then PrEP is still good for reducing your fear and anxiety. Some people just want an extra layer of protection and that's fine. Some medical professionals also use PrEP to stop HIV infection if they get a needle stick injury. PrEP is incredibly effective and reliable. PrEP users report that they are letting go of fear they didn't even know they carried.
PrEP only protects you against HIV.
You need to take other precautions to reduce your risk of contracting other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis and hepatitis C.
We recommend regular STI testing, the best STI/STD test nowaday is DNA test for 28 infections. You also need to do an HIV test every three months.
Yes, you can.
Ask our doctor about vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B and the HPV vaccine.
HPV is the virus that can cause some cancers in the throat and your lower parts (penile cancer and anal cancer) but it can be prevented by three shots of painless HPV vaccine available at our clinics. Book an appointment now!
It’s totally your decision to disclose if you’re taking PrEP. Some people are proud to say they are taking PrEP and in doing so they are helping beak down stereotypes and showing that taking PrEP is a choice to look after their own health. Telling people that you are on PrEP also lets them know that protecting yourself against HIV is important to you. You're not legally or morally required to tell anyone. It's important to respect where other people are at on their safe sex journey so if your partners prefer to use a condom then that's their right. They don't have to take your word for it that you are safe. Of course they could take PrEP themselves and then their safety is completely in their hands.
That's not true. PrEP works by stopping the virus penetrating the cell. If it can't get into the cell then it can't multiply. Mutations occur when the virus reproduces. So essentially no infection means no mutation. It's important that you are not already HIV positive when you start PrEP. If the virus is already reproducing in your body then taking PrEP may cause some inconvenient problems with resistance and your doctor may have to try other medications. Your doctor will test to make sure you're not HIV positive before you start.
We have been helping people getting PrEP easily since 2015. Thousands of people worldwide are protected from HIV and the number of new HIV infections are reducing. Let's live our lives with let worries and give HIV an end! The beginning of new life starts now with PULSE clinic's PrEP online department special service. Just click on the photo below and let us take you to the PrEP online client portal.
For more information about the medication and ordering process,
please email pulseliving@pulse-clinic.com or chat on your preferred platform.
+66-84-226-2569 @pulserx PulseClinic
PULSE is the first licensed private medical practice in Asia to prescribe and provide PrEP since 2015.
PULSE clinic is working with iWantPrEPnow, UK, to provide PrEP ONLINE to countries allowed by law. For people who have prescription and re-visitor of PULSE clinic, now you can submit your prescription/blood test result from your doctor and order PrEP online HERE. by prescription only.
That is a black market, we DO NOT SUPPORT BLACK MARKET. If you take PrEP without knowing that you are HIV positive, it can lead to drug resistant HIV infection. What we are trying to provide for our community is smart and proper way to be protected by PrEP.
Buying medication over the internet or from the pharmacy is bad idea unless you can be sure that the supplier is legitimate or unless you buy from our online pharmacy. Otherwise there is a risk that you may be given pills that do not work or which cause you harm. And if side effects or complications happen, those supplier will not be able to and will not take care of you. It is also important that anyone being prescribed PrEP has medical supervision for this to happen. Because continuous care is important as long as you're taking PrEP,
PULSE CLINICS provides a blood test to check the correct drugs are present in your body, this is called Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM). You need to have taken a pill in the 24 hours before the test.
I have my prescription and I want to order now, TAKE ME THERE !