Can I stop taking my daily PrEP? Expand If you are planning to stop having sex, you may wish to stop daily dosing PrEP. PrEP is very flexible if your circumstances change. Before you stop, cis men* should carry on taking PrEP for another two sex-free days. Everyone else should carry on taking PrEP for seven sex-free days. This includes when PrEP is being taken for vaginal/frontal protection. *Cis man refers to anyone who was assigned male at birth and who still identifies as a man.
Does PrEP prevent or treat COVID-19? Expand No. The drugs used for PrEP do not prevent COVID-19. They do not work to treat COVID-19. Please do not increase your regular PrEP to prevent or treat COVID-19. Do not share PrEP with anyone to prevent or treat COVID-19.
Can I change from daily dosing to event based PrEP? Expand Yes, but although PrEP is very flexible to change dosing - this is only for some people. It is also only if the PrEP you use is Tenofovir/emtricitabine(TDF/FTC). Only cis men* who have sex with other men can safely change from daily dosing to Event Based PrEP. Everyone else, including for vaginal/frontal protection, can only use daily dosing. Event Based PrEP is not suitable. For more information on Event Based PrEP please see the PrEPster website: www.prepster.info/ebp Event based PrEP has not been studied using Descovy (TAF/FTC). If your current PrEP drug is Descovy, only daily dosing is recommended. If you can use event-based PrEP, this involves: Taking a double dose 2 to 24 hours before sex. Taking a single pill every 24 hours, until you’ve had 2 sex free days. For example, if you have sex once, this will involve a double dose before sex. Then a second pill after 24 and 48 hours. Total = 4 pills. * Cis man refers to anyone who was assigned male at birth and who still identifies as a male.
Will I still be able to get my prescription for PrEP? Expand Many clinics will streamline the way PrEP services work. This will help the NHS to respond to COVID-19. Everyone that needs PrEP should still be able to access it. This means you should still be able to get your prescription when you need it. Clinics will aim to let you know about changes before your next appointment. This might be by text message, phone call or email. Also check the clinic website. Please contact your local clinic if you have any concerns. Please be aware that they may take longer than usual to answer or get back to you. Use SX’s Service Finder to find your nearest sexual health service. Click here to head over to their page.
Will I still be able to get my regular STI check-up during this time? Expand This aspect of PrEP is likely to change in most clinics. The demand on laboratories means that clinics will be cutting back on STI tests unless you have symptoms. This will let labs focus on samples from very sick patients. As far as possible, you will still get tested for at least HIV and syphilis at your next PrEP appointment
How can I safely restart PrEP? Expand If you have not had sex since stopping, then it’s okay to start PrEP as usual. If you’re a cis man, you should take a double dose 2 to 24 hours before sex if you want to have sex straight away. You can then continue with either daily dosing or event-based dosing (see above). Everyone else should take daily doses for seven days before sex. This includes for vaginal/frontal protection.
What if I’ve stopped PrEP and have the chance to have sex? Expand If you have the chance to have sex, event based PrEP will be okay – but only if you are able to use this option. Not everyone can use EBP safely so check here for more information: https://www.prepster.info/ebp If you have sex and you didn’t use PrEP, you can still use PEP. This involves using a daily combination of three HIV drugs for one month. Time to PEP access should not be affected by coronavirus, but this is difficult to predict. You can find out more about PEP here: https://www.hiv.scot/Pages/FAQs/Category/pep
What is physical distancing? Expand What is physical distancing? Physical distancing is about stopping the spread of COVID-19. It is often called social distancing - but we use the term physical distancing because we know it's important to maintain social links. Physical distancing means: Avoiding contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). These symptoms include high temperature and/or new and continuous cough. Avoiding non-essential use of public transport, varying your travel times to avoid rush hour when possible. Working from home, where possible. Your employer should support you to do this. Avoiding large gatherings, and gatherings in small public spaces such as pubs, cinemas, restaurants, bars and clubs (these are currently closed in the UK in order to mitigate such gatherings) Avoiding gatherings with friends and family. Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media. Using telephone or online services to contact your GP, other essential services and your friends & family. You can find out more about that on NHS Inform’s website here.
I've received a text cancelling my next PrEP appointment, what should I do? Expand The COVID-19 outbreak is putting a lot of pressure on the NHS. Many appointments over the next few months are being rearranged to allow the NHS to focus on very sick patients. You may receive a text message to say your appointment has been cancelled. This is an automated text, and you should receive a further text message, email or phone call to discuss options for your next appointment. Sexual health services want to continue to provide PrEP to those who need it, but non-urgent medical care may have to be delayed if staff have to help provide urgent care to people with COVID-19. Whilst you can attend medical appointments during this period of heightened restrictions, it may be wise to consider the impact on you and others around you. You may decide to safely stop PrEP in the short term - you can find more information about safely stopping PrEP on this page. If you need PrEP urgently, you should contact us on [email protected] and we will do our best to help. There is more information on this page, above, for when you need to safely restart PrEP, or move to Event Based Dosing (if you can).