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Offered PrEP at a party?

Dr. David: So this dude wants to know: I was offered PrEP at a party. This guy told me if I took it that night I was good for the weekend. Is he right?
Got questions about PrEP? #AskTheHIVDoc has all the answers.
Um, how can I say this – hell no. He’s not right. And the first problem with this scenario is that if someone offers you a pill at a party and even if you know that person well you may not want to take it. And then, second of all, PrEP takes a longer time to get going, so don’t think it’s one of those scenarios where you can actually go into a party and say whee! It’s Friday night, I’m gonna take my PrEP and I’m gonna be good for the weekend and no one’s gonna infect me if I don’t use condoms all weekend. You have to be really careful with that. PrEP is not something that you just pop a pill, so start to take it beforehand. And don’t take a pill from somebody else before you go to a party. It’s just not a good look.

When it comes to partying on PrEP, make sure you’re partying smart. There are many important reasons to NOT accept PrEP at a party, though most importantly, PrEP must be taken for some time before exposure to HIV for it to be effective.

CDC guidelines state that PrEP reaches maximum protection against getting HIV through receptive anal sex after taking it daily for about 7 days. For receptive vaginal sex and injection drug use, PrEP reaches maximum protection after about 20 days of daily use.

As with any medication, talk with your healthcare provider about what’s right for you. Click here to find a PrEP friendly provider near you.

Click here for more information about PrEP.

 

#AskTheHIVDoc is a video series from Greater Than HIV featuring top HIV doctors providing answers to commonly-asked questions about HIV prevention, testing and treatment.

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