Any Experience with nPEP? Post Exposure Prophylaxis.

[cocksucker4use]

Hey, Ok, so I had a suspected exposure to HIV. Now I am taking Truvada daily for 28 days. This is day 2. Yesterday I was a little fucked up, but today, I feel fine. Aside from the expense...$1300, I wonder about other side effects, or even if it's worth it. By the time I got it all together, I was about 45 hours post-exposure before my first dose of T. Well within the 72 hour window, but beyond the optimal 24-36 hour window. Has anybody had the experience, or know someone who has? Have an opinion?

 

[onetwothreefour]

I had never heard of it before. I'm guessing based on $1300 cost insurance isn't covering it. I just saw something about taking HIV meds daily to prevent infection. I'm curious about this, going to read more about it.

Edit: Found this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-exposure_prophylaxis#HIV
But it probably doesn't say anything you don't know already.

Is your drug one of the combo cocktail drugs or a single one? The Wiki article made it sound like you go on standard HIV meds for prophylaxis, which I believe is a cocktail of drugs.

FTA:
"The antiretroviral regimen used in PEP is the same as the standard highly active antiretroviral therapy used to treat AIDS. It requires close compliance and can have unpleasant side effects including malaise, fatigue, diarrhea, headache, nausea and vomiting.["

 

[cocksucker4use]

Well, the deal is that you have to move quickly with this, cuz you only have a 72 hour window post exposure. So, I wuz kinda in denial for most of the day following, and then the more I thought about the dude, and how it transpired n stuff, I said, WTF? Wake up! Ok then I called my Doc and the AIDS hotline, etc. and finally got a prescription...and had to get a rapid HIV test (at a place where they do em...) to show that I am neg NOW. If I came up POZ, then why fuck with PEP? So I am, or was neg and now I am taking Trudvada, which is one pill, but a combo of two meds. Like I said, by the time I got all the pieces together and finally popped one, it was 45 hours after I got fucked....and bred...and bled. OOF>

 

[KaraBulut]

The protocol for non-occupational exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) that you have been prescribed is pretty much by-the-book. You got one of the more expensive drugs, though. Unfortunately, there's not really a specific drug that's prescribed- it's a clinician choice- but HAART is preferred.

I hear PEP recommended quite often but it's not where you want to ever find yourself. The treatment will make you feel like crap. And because there's only a 72 hour window post-exposure, there's not a lot of time to really think about whether you want to go through this process. If there's uncertainty, you're better off doing it but we do have a lot of people who never complete the protocol- either because of the cost or because it just makes them feel like shit.

But if you don't do PEP and you contract HIV, you're going to be on these drugs for the rest of your life. It's a terrible choice. It's not something that anyone should have to go through.

 

[cocksucker4use]

Ok...Finished the course awhile back, well, 30 days after I started. Noticed I didn't feel right the first coupla days, but overall, it was surprisingly uneventful. It's been 3 months. Home today, and there is a rapid test site less than 15 minutes away....anxious, but I have to know.

 

[Aymotin]

Wish you luck!

 

[cocksucker4use]

Thanks, Aymotin
Well i did the gum paddle rapid test and it was NEGATIVE!
So, for all the guys that are super hyper anxious about HIV results, it can work out. I honestly did a stupid, reckless thing and it was hella high risk. Dunno how the the nPEP did, but it is worth going after.