What is PrEP?
PrEP (pre non-exposure prophylaxis) is a daily medication to help lower the risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use in individuals at an increased risk for HIV. What taken as prescribed, PrEP is a highly effective treatment for preventing HIV negative individuals.
You should consider PrEP if you...
- Have a sexual partner with HIV
- Do not consistently use condoms
- Are a gay man, trans or non-binary and have condomless sex
- Have been diagnosed with an STD in the past 6 months
- Share needles, syringes or other tools to inject drugs
How long does it take PrEP to work?
PrEP should be taken every day. It is recommended that PrEP be taken around the same time each day as this helps with continuous protection against HIV. PrEP substantially reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by nearly 99% when taken as prescribed. PrEP reaches maximum protection from HIV at about 7 days of daily use.
How can I pay for PrEP?
There are programs available that provide PrEP for free or at a reduced cost. Please let your provider know if you need assistance with paying for PrEP.
How do I get a PrEP refill?
Before starting PrEP, you will need labs to ensure HIV negative status and monitor your kidney function. For patient safety, these labs will need to be repeated every 3 months while using PrEP.
What is PEP?
PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) reduces the risk of HIV infecting your body after you have been exposed to it. PEP is only for emergency use. It must be taken within 24-72 hours of risk of being exposed to HIV.
PEP might be right for you if...
- You are the victim of sexual assault
- You have had sex with someone who may have HIV and did not use a condom or the condom broke
How long is PEP treatment?
PEP consist of 2-3 daily antiretroviral medication and should be taken for 28 days. Your provider will determine what PEP treatment is right for you based on your exposure to HIV.
What is HEP-C?
Hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, it impairs the liver to function properly. Hepatitis is often caused by a virus. Hepatitis C is one of the most common types of viral hepatitis. It is caused by a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver and is easily spread by sharing drug injection equipment and through sex.
If left untreated, Hepatitis C can cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer and even death.
How is HEP-C contracted?
- Health care, emergency medical and public safety personnel who have been exposed to the blood of someone with Hepatitis C (through needle sticks, sharps or mucosal exposures)
- People who have received transfusions or organ transplants before 1992
- Children born to mothers who have Hepatitis C
- People with certain medical conditions, including those who ever received maintenance hemodialysis and those with persistently abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (an enzyme found within liver cells)
- People who use injection drugs or did so in the past, even those who injected only once many years ago
- People with HIV infection
How is Hepatitis C treated?
There is currently no vaccine to prevent Hepatitis C, however there are treatments available approved by the FDA. Hepatitis C treatments usually involve just 8-12 weeks of oral therapy (pills) and cure over 90% with few side effects.
Living with HIV
If you have been diagnosed with HIV, it’s important to start treatment to keep you healthy and protect others. There is no effective cure for HIV, but with proper medical care, it can be controlled.
What is HIV Treatment?
HIV treatment involves taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) medicine that reduces the amount of HIV in your body.
The benefits on HIV Treatment may include:
- Reduced viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood)
- Most people can get the virus under control within 6 months.
- HIV medicine can make the viral load so low that a test can't detect it.
- If you have an undetectable viral load, you have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.
*HIV medication does not prevent transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases.
Is HIV medication affordable?
There are programs that available that provide PrEP for free or at a reduced cost. Please let your provider know if you need assistance paying for PrEP.