SCOTLAND’S CHARITY FOR GAY MEN
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WHAT IS PEP?
PEP stands for Post Exposure Prophylaxis and is a course of pills that may stop you becoming HIV positive after you've been exposed to the virus.
WHO CAN GET PEP?
You can be considered for PEP if you know you have put yourself at risk of getting HIV.
However, not everyone is eligible for PEP. It is worth thinking about PEP if you or someone you had anal sex with didn’t use a condom (or something went wrong with the condom) and it is no later than 72 hours (3 days) since it happened. Doctors might sometimes give PEP after oral sex, depending on the circumstances.
WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ASKED IF SOMEONE WANTS PEP?
The doctor will need to ask questions about:
- The person the unsafe sex was with: to judge the chances they have HIV.
- The sex involved, e.g. when it happened, was it oral or anal sex, was semen involved?
Having an HIV test. Before someone is given PEP they must have an HIV test to check they don’t already have HIV. They must agree to be tested after taking PEP to see if it has worked. PEP won't be offered to someone who refuses to be tested.
IS PEP A CURE FOR HIV?
There is still no cure for HIV but if taken early, PEP may stop you or your sexual partner(s) becoming HIV positive even after the virus has entered the body.
HOW SOON DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE PEP AFTER YOU THINK YOU HAVE BEEN AT RISK OF CATCHING HIV?
The sooner the better. PEP will not be given if it is more than 72 hours (3 days) since you think you have been at risk of getting HIV. However, you shouldn’t wait for 72 hours before contacting the hospital as the longer you wait the less effective PEP is likely to be.
HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE PEP FOR?
One month. It important not to miss any doses and to take the pills at the times you are told to take them.
HOW MANY TIMES CAN SOMEONE GET PEP?
There are no fixed rules on how many times you can get PEP. Doctors are unlikely to give these expensive and powerful drugs to the same person time after time. So someone who keeps having unsafe sex will usually be offered help with having safer sex and won’t be given PEP lots of times.
DOES PEP HAVE ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
All drugs have side effects. When taking PEP you may experience nausea, diarrhoea, headaches, tiredness and other side effects. Your doctor will discuss these with you prior to prescribing PEP. You may also need to have some blood tests taken during the PEP course to monitor its effects on the body.
IF SOMEONE IS TAKING PEP DOES IT MAKE THEM IMMUNE TO HIV?
No. Unsafe sex while taking PEP could let more HIV into your body, making PEP much less likely to work. If after taking PEP someone has stayed HIV negative and then has unsafe sex again, they can become infected just like any other HIV negative person.
NOW WE HAVE PEP, IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO USE CONDOMS?
It is still important to use condoms. The main reasons for this are:
- Using a condom is more likely to stop HIV being passed on than PEP is.
- Condoms don’t make you ill with nasty side effects.
- Condoms are everywhere. PEP can be hard - sometimes impossible - to get.
- You control getting hold of condoms but doctors decide if you should get PEP and they may say no.
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