Speak Out : “What I Think Of PrEP”
This post was written by one of our members. If you would like to submit an article, an opinion a text to show with other members, please do so at blog at adam4adam dot com)
PrEP. I honestly wasn’t sure which letters to capitalize, but it turns out it means “pre-exposure prophylaxis” so I guess the first P, then the E and the last P. It’s something that’s getting a whole lot of attention and also a whole lot of criticism. Every time I see an article on PrEP, I cringe. I should be excited. As someone who is HIV positive, I would think that something like this would be exciting. The pill is Truvada, a medicine I’m familiar with because I used it until my strand of HIV mutated against it and I was no longer able to use it.
I guess that’s where I lose that excitement I’m supposed to have. When I was diagnosed, it was bad. I had developed a Cancer associated with HIV, my viral count was astronomical (to me) and my white blood cell count was dangerously low. I got two phone calls; one to tell me I was HIV positive and the next about ten minutes later to tell me I also had Cancer. My immune system was severely compromised and the doctors basically expected me to die. I thought no one died from HIV anymore here in America! Isn’t that what all my friends in the community were telling me? I had no fear of HIV because “it’s manageable” and “it’s not like in the 80s” and “no one really dies from it anymore” and “you can’t even pass it on if you’re the top” and a myriad of other “facts” that turned out to be completely wrong. My virus was aggressive and the Cancer followed suit. Instead of a standard six cycles of chemotherapy that would have helped bring me to a healthy place I did seventeen cycles. I would have done more, but chemotherapy in that level can begin to affect one’s heart and the doctors were afraid that they would have to add “heart problems” to my already growing list of things to deal with. On top of that, I still had to go to work and put in my 40 hours because I had bills to pay. I was determined to live, though. I don’t know exactly what I did except draw on my sense of humour, my faith, the people supporting me and my almost clinically insane drive to continue living. After two years, I finally began to lose weight (50 lbs, heeeeey!), my white blood cell count rose to a really good place and I was diagnosed as “Undetectable” for the first time. An undetectable viral count is 48 or lower. My viral count is somewhere below 12.
So…my experience wasn’t like in the movies where the town hears I have Cancer and then they pull together and cut me a check for a million dollars, and I get to recuperate in my two story country home. I had a crap apartment I could barely afford and the day after chemotherapy I had to be at work or I couldn’t pay my bills. It was an education.
I think that’s what bothers me about PrEP. Before PrEP we have a generation of young gay people who have no personal responsibility with their sexuality. They have sex as much as possible, with whomever they will and can barely spell “condom” let alone take the time to actually buy them and use them. Porn has sensationalized barebacking (I remember when Sean Cody and other sites were adamant about safe sex…now it seems like there’s nothing BUT barebacking videos on those sites) with a quick three second “warning” that unsafe sex could lead to HIV infection. Of course, no one bothers to actually read the warning, even if they could read an entire screen full of information that fast. They just want to get to the video! So we basically gave permission for these younger gay guys to have no ownership of the sex they were having. As they grew up, they did the same thing to the next generation. HIV contractions skyrocketed. STD/STI infections skyrocketed. And to fix it, we created PrEP.
But we skipped the part where we educated people. Yes, there are heaps of pamphlets and books and magazine articles that talk about HIV and the dangers. But honestly, these guys don’t really read anything. They can barely be counted on to read my profile, let alone a full article on something. Most likely, they’ve already phased out of this article because I’m not telling a story about my ass being filled up with someone’s cum. There is a lot of written information, but as living human beings we haven’t really spread the word. We haven’t really taught them to take responsibility because we ourselves don’t take responsibility. We are the examples, and then we get mad when they take our examples and run with it.
And now we have this magic pill that is basically being pawned off as “you’ll never get HIV, it’s impossible! Go ahead, empty that load into all the asses you want!” and we’re at a place of imbalance. That key component of education is missing, and PrEP, which was meant to be helpful and lead us in a good direction, is now just another tool for irresponsible behaviour.
I’m not sure what the solution is. I hope that we have not reached an irreversible place. Soon, my generation and the one before me will be gone. What will be left seems terrifying to me. I like sex. I like having it. I like the younger generation’s energy when it comes to sex. I love all the hot bodies. But if we don’t take a deep breath, take a step back, slow everything down and begin being responsible then all PrEP will be is another excuse, and I don’t want to exit this world knowing that everyone else is going to exit right after me. Let’s get it together, men.
-MakeMeABird-
I share your concerns. As it was explained to me, being positive myself, having unprotected sex with other positive people would expose me to strains that I didnt already have, making the medication im on possibly be ineffective. Thus ruling out medication after medication. My fear is that eventually people using prep will eventually facilitate the mutation that makes it ineffective as well, and possibly creating a super strain. Ive heard so many times, youre positive and im positive so it doesnt matter. (omg). Im on prep, so it doesnt matter is soon to follow.
Could this be ushering in a new crisis?
So PrepDude takes meds to not be infected and fuck freely…while PozDude takes his drugs to be healthy and fuck and then thrown into jail because he is poz.
Whoever posted this is a man after my own heart. The whole pseudo ideology with this fucking drug projects the absolute WRONG message. No matter how much of the chemical imbalance that occurrences within the body when on this pill is not worth the risk of getting one of the most prolific and deadliest dieases mankind has ever faced. Life is WAY TOO FUCKING AWESOME to even let the hottest one night stand containment it with something SOMEONE ELSE TOLD YOU IS SAFE. It just takes one ONE CLINICAL TRIAL to reverse every thing. The Millennium Generation I’m sorry to say even though it’s my generation does not grasp the magnitude of the wrong decisions it makes. By monitoring the site I’ve seen dudes as young as 18 say I’m poz friendly when it comes to sex and then has the post of “Anything Goes that already seems to give the OK go beyond the spectrum of dirty promiscuous and leave good taste” which is a very sad turn of events for my younger generation. Just because we are gay doesn’t mean we have to live the life everyone thinks we already do. With the ads on this site no wonder this drug is being marketed as a fail safe scapegoat when in reality is just a delay tactic the virus needs to mutate it at the right moment in time. NO GUY IS EVERY WORTH THE AWESOME LIFE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN!!!!! So no this drug I will never use. I have every thing I could ever want and got more success coming down the line and I’ll be damned to hell if I let some hot ass guy take jay away from me cause I wanted to have sex without a condom.BEAUTY FADES DUMB IS FOREVER!!!!
Hello there. I read your article. and Yes, I’m a younger gen that LOVES sex, but as someone educated, I already knew something was wrong with PrEP. I personally believe that bareback sex should be with the one you love the most and trust. And the fact that PrEP is just another excuse for guys to think their fucking immortal against disease irritates the hell out of me! It’s bad enough I get lied to about people’s cock size (them saying their 7 inchs when they’re actually 2-3 inches), but now they have the believe there is now a safety net against (in my opionion) the deadliest STD to exist
Guess what, many get HIV from within those so called stable relationships, regardless of love and trust, I realised too late that my health and life I should trust noone with. Goodluck bare backing with the one you love and trust, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, I’m sure you’re educated self also knows HIV is not the only thing out there, good thing they found a cure for HepC now, I am just waiting on my HIV cure.
That was one of the most honest articles I have read here. I keep seeing more in peoples profiles here about being on PREP, as if it is a message as, “come and get some, I am safe to play with”. Oh if that was only true! And even if that wonder drug was for real, why would you believe a stranger that they was taking such a drug for both of your protection anymore then what there statis is. I am a older man, I have had my share of hookups through the years, I am no angel by any means. But I believe with our technology today hooking up with strangers is more readily available. Before the internet you had to actually get dressed up and go to a bar or party and have one on one conversations with people to have a chance at hooking up, now all on needs to do is turn on there devise of means and ask and answer a few questions and the meet is on. And who knows what shows up is anywhere near what was described in the communication.
I know drugs and “anything goes” has and will always be around, but I see it more and more openly advertised here in peoples ads. We as a gay population are so on it when it comes to our rights and getting them passed legally, but we don’t seem to care that we as a group don’t seem to care if we are killing ourselves at a early age. Drugs are wonderful, when they work, but what are they doing to our body’s in the long run, nobody knows. Drugs are not the magic bullet to life. When do we as people start taking responsibility for our own easy sex life styles?
Wow… it is terrible that is your current state of affairs, but it doesn’t seem to me that what you have to say is going to be of benefit to anyone, except just releasing some anger/frustration on your part.
I won’t disagree that many guys conduct themselves (particularly on A4A and similar sites) as though all they are good for is either putting their dick in someone or having someone put their dick in them, or visa-versa. I’m not sure if that’s due to laziness or a true inability to express themselves more intelligently – I suspect the former. However, I think it is overly critical to cast all men who enjoy sex with other men as nothing but village idiots with raging hormones – it you wanted to alienate your audience, you probably succeeded.
PrEP is a mixed-bag to me. I’ve considered it myself, as I enjoy being a raw top, but engaging in causal raw anal sex is well outside of my comfortable risk zone. Condoms are nearly worthless to me, as I am lucky if I can maintain half an erection while wearing one. Finding a dedicated raw bottom for monogamous anal sex seems like a bit of a fantasy given then I’m not geared so much for an LTR – not by a lack of commitment – I had a monogamous sexual relationship for over 3 years, no problem – but it was purely sexual.
At any rate, using PrEP would certainly reduce the risks associated with HIV. It’s not foolproof, but nor are condoms, and nor is being a committed partner in a relationship if your partner isn’t equally committed to respecting that trust – if you shared that in the first place.
I think it’s great that something like PrEP even exists at all – and I don’t think anyone who chooses to use it is being pointedly sexually irresponsible. It is very effective from what I’ve read, particularly when both guys are using it (assuming one is HIV+; if you’re both HIV- then use of PrEP adds no particular benefit). And just like a condom, it can be used to reduce one’s risk factors, and can be combined with the use of condoms, limiting sexual partners, etc.
In fact, it could be argued that correct use of PrEP could be more effective at preventing HIV than condoms. Why? Because you take PrEP once a day – every day – and most people take supplements or medications at regular times. You do it once, then it’s done, and it continues to provide protection for the rest of the day. A condom, however, is only good to make use of during a sexual encounter, when people are distracted, and quite possibly under the influence of alcohol or other substances that reduce their self-control – both of which make it less likely it will get used at all. Plus, condoms do break or slip off entirely – I’ve had each of those happen multiple times out of the sparse times I’ve used them, and if it does either while fucking, it’s protection is completely lost – not so with PrEP.
So while I’m not going to advocate PrEP as a reason to abandon all other HIV risk mitigation techniques, it definitely has a worthwhile place as one.
My opinion? It’s an option for those who can afford it. It’s not a magic bullet. The fine print says to use it with condoms, not instead of them.
I don’t think it’s a license for ignorant promiscuity. Guys who like to sleep around did so for thousands of years before it, and will continue to do so long after the medication is no longer necessary.
The ugly truth.
Good article. I have only done anal a few times. Guys always want to put it in me bare. I tell them never have and never will that way. They say they are safe but who knows for sure. Obviously a rubber can be a pain and bare is better and I think hot warm cum in my ass might feel great but i want to live without fear and can sacrifice some small joys for safety.
Very well written article. I’m HIV- and as I continued through your article it made me cringe and scared. I’m just now really hearing about PrEP and it sounds dangerous. The pill sounds inviting but I agree with you that people will not be as causious while on PrEP. Nothing beats education. I’m 35 and your article opened my eyes. Thank you.
Thanks for the caveat, MakeMeABird. Sorry to hear that you were in such bad shape at the beginning of your diagnosis. PrEP has been a contentious issue in and out of the HIV community, but I don’t share many of your misgivings about this development. I have had HIV for more than 32 years, but luckily, despite a high viral load and low T-cells, I didn’t develop the kinds of problems — cancer, for instance, or any other serious medical problem that HIV can bring, even today. On meds, I quickly became undetectable and my T-cells climbed fairly fast, eventually landing in the 600s to 700s. I see PrEP, if used correctly, as another tool in the fight against HIV. Alas, those two words “used correctly” are the devils in the details issue. Any negative gay man on PrEP — and I see more and more of them on this site — still have to practice safe sex, and use a condom if they have receptive anal sex with a positive guy. From recent studies, oral sex is not a problem, especially on PrEP. I think we should be careful not to blame using PrEP with the foibles of human behavior. Education is still crucial, with or without PrEP. In the news recently, we saw that San Francisco’s infection rates have lowered dramatically in the last year. Is this because of PrEP? Partly because of PrEP? Not completely sure. But it sounds like more than a coincidence. Since I look upon San Francisco as Ground Zero in the 34 1/2-year battle against HIV, I take this latest study and the numbers seriously. Yet, responsible behavior can’t be thrown out the window just because PrEP is available. More studies are needed; more work must be done. But PrEP is a promising development, and will likely lead to others. Let’s give it a chance before dismissing it.
I had a hard time following what you wrote. Are you simply skeptical of PrEP?
I am 22 years old, on PrEP as well as using the condoms. The PrEP for me is an extra precaution in my health since I am allergic to latex so condoms are limited to me especially in California where it seems all non latex condoms are just mostly for heterosexual couples not wanting to get pregnant. I understand this article completely and surprise I read the whole thing but I am one of the fee anomalies of my generation and younger. We should be educating more on safe sex where my high school required us to take a class for a year to graduate. But now most high schools just make it a semester long course where the students can just miss it but still pass. Hopefully a post like this will get my generation to learn more.
A generation or two earlier, even without PrEP, men were still, as you say “irresponsible” with the sex they had. In a way PrEP is the Condom of this generation, only a hell of a lot more expensive.
Human behavior remains generally the same. It’s just that a new element is added into the environment in order to mitigate the perceived negative effects of said behavior. It’s very similar to the needle exchange program.
You sound bitter at the fact that men today can more freely bareback without the same level of physiological and social risk and repercussions you and your generation faced before.
Who knows, a few years from now there may finally be a cure or vaccine for HIV. And the men who had to undergo the PrEP regimen may develop the same bitter attitude towards the new generation and the new method of stopping HIV. “Why do these kids have the luxury of getting a single shot or pill to completely eliminate HIV, when I myself had to go through an entire daily regimen of expensive meds and suffer a social stigma?”
Yes, there is a social stigma towards men who are on PrEP.
They are HIV negative people who are taking responsibility for their sexual health and well being, yet they are perceived as promiscuous, reckless, irresponsible, and “risky” to have sex with.
Go figure.
I’m hiv negative and don’t use prep, but it seems like you are making sweeping negative assumptions about everyone who does use it.
What an articulate man, and what a thought-provoking article. Finally!
So because you were too stupid to educate yourself about HIV, none of us should be able to use PrEP?
I remember why I stopped reading the garbage on this blog.
prep is just another excuse for the majority of gays to continue to be whores and not take any responsibility.
nothing 100% to keep you from getting the bug….but i guess better than nothing. i sure would not go into trials for the drug, my luck get the placebo.
Quit it with the patronizing ageism. HIV education is not a generational issue. It’s a gay community issue. I am 24, negative and usually have sex with 40-70 year old men. Literally every single older man who has tried to top me has tried to do so without a condom. Young people can barely spell “condom”? Do you realize how arrogant this sounds? Safe sex education is important, but all gay men regardless of age could use a refresher course. Blaming the younger generation for problem that started with the older generation is unconscionable. So is maligning an extremely valuable tool in harm reduction. PrEP isn’t safe sex. It’s an extremely effective way of reducing HIV transmission in people who would participate in risky unsafe sex in the first place. Blaming PrEP as a tool for irresponsible behavior is like blaming a needle exchange for promoting meth usage. Please reevaluate the sex negativity that is rife in this entire article and approach safe sex education in a less judgmental manner. If you truly want to reach the “younger” audiences you’re referring to, this is not the way to go. If you’re only interested in getting on your soap box where other like minded and indignant gay men will agree with you and pat you on the back then keep on doing what you’re doing.
This is by far the most honest article I’ve ever read. I couldn’t agree more
here FUCKIN’ here! My thoughts exactly…
Thank you for sharing I didn’t understand what prp is but I’m also on the little blue pill also and I have been fortunate no opportunistic infections yet but we nee to continue to educate the masses it is a serous disease
This is a first hand account of why we all need to hear the stories of Men who are going through their journey of survival. It’s very important that we take all the necessary precautions, so we can live long lasting lives. There is nothing wrong with enjoying sex, but also have to take the risks involved, then choose what’s best for us. After all we have the knowledge, and can put it in practice, but some still refuse to grasp the real truth. There is no reason why the rates of HIV infections are still high, especially in the Black Community. Education, and Outreach can help, but we all have to do our part to get the message across LOUD and CLEAR.
I have a couple questions or concerns when it comes to this article…
I’m 23 years old, I’m not on PrEP.. I’m thinking about it, but only as a second barrier on top of a condom and getting tested. But I’ve been looking for the negative side effects stories to balance and weigh them to the positives of taking PrEP…
So here’s my questions…
1. How long were you positive before truvada no longer worked?… Or was is the strand of HIV that was already resistant to truvada when you received the phone call?
2. As far as someone like myself who gets tested regularly, talks about safe sex and getting tested with my sexual partners and uses condoms on a regular basis, would truvada be a beneficial or harmful to my physical and mental state or would truvada have serious side effects?
3. I don’t know you or how old you are, but reading your article and from pulling context clues from it I would assume… Early 30”s-early40’s? Is there any advice you would give to your younger self or even the younger generation on being more conscious and aware of what’s going on and how and where the right information would be, or any information on what really helped get you to being happy and healthy to an undetectable status?
Thank you,
Southvalleyboy from California
In a nut shell I believe that Prep in itself is a wonderful thing. The idea that when you are with someone who is HIV positive you don’t have to worry at all, is amazing.
However, I believe that the way prep is being marketed and viewed by the gay community is destroying our community. Here in Dallas almost every guy i meet that is on prep is on it so that he can “take loads from anyone”. This belief that prep is a prevent all is totally false. You can still catch HIV even taking prep. Prep is supposed to be added to your safe sex practices, not substituted Not to mention you can still catch any other number of STD’s.
Sadly i don’t believe that this will ever end or change. But I do believe that prep will ultimately lead to a very large increase in STD’s, leading to an in crease in anti-biotic resistant STD’s and in the long term of things, HIV will more than likely evolve to a stage where it is resistant to the PREP medication. It is a virus and it will learn and change as necessary.
very interesting comment. love the concern. However, I believe you are confusing the objective of Prep and your regret that you cannot use it. Oh, the PR is used for the word pre-exposure…it was created to discern between PeP (post exposure prophylaxis). Unfortunately, a candidate has to be HIV negative to be considered.
That said,Truvada is not a cure. It is just another tool in the growing arsenal to keep this virus at bay. Unlike HIV counterparts… unless you have insurance,which will pay for Truvada, it is an expensive proposition to be fucking up! there is a regimen that must be followed including going to your doctor routinely.Therefore people who are actually taking the pill a day are taking it seriously. Those who are not, are reckless in their daily lives regardless, and that is a (anything goes) subculture that is appealing to many.
I will start taking Truvada in November, not because I want to be reckless and irresponsible. I will take it because my insurance will pay for it, and it is an xtra layer of protection. I will still use condoms and be aware of other STIs, but I was always conscience about my health.
This brings us full circle to your argument, which is valid. However, you are concerned about a minority of gay men who have made their responsible and conscience decision to not care about the consequences when barebacking. Porn studios like Treasure Island Media empowers men to not be afraid of a virus and it is enlightening. It is a conscious choice. Not everyone who is infected go through the horrible ordeal that you unfortunately did. I have made a choice that lowers my chances of catching the virus, not out of fear but out of activism and sheer respect for myself.
From what I understand. Other STD’s have skyrocketed since the wide spread use of the prep. All the nasty stuff no one ever thinks about. Hep, Syphilis, and all the other ugly things.
Remember, It is now who you do, It is what you do that puts you at risk.
Coming from the 80’s and 90’s, I saw many of my friends die a horrible death. I think Prep is giving this generation a false sense of security, and they are having unprotected sex with everyone. This is not only a risk to them, but their partners. With all the STD’s out there, including Hep C, I would think they would be more responsible. All it takes is one moment of pleasure, that is not worth a life.
I am now basically celibate, except for jacking off, which I know gets boring as hell, but there is just no one out there I want to have sex with.
To address a couple of the comments:
I’m not bitter or “ageist”. I’m only 38 so I haven’t even hit my prime yet. But as the gentleman from Dallas said (I’m in Texas too) it’s trendy to be on PrEP. So the majority attitude is “oh good they made a pill, so I’m going to take it and continue taking every load I can”. That doesn’t describe EVERYONE but realistically, guys, it’s like that out there. Just because some younger people are responsible doesn’t mean it’s all okay. I mean, is the STD rate blasting upward because everyone is so responsible? obviously not.
PrEP describes Truvada, but there are a lot of drugs that Truvada belongs to that do the same thing. Kaletra, Zudovidine, Intellence, Atripla, Isentress, etc. Truvada is part of that regime so I’m not mad that I can’t use PrEP because essentially I AM using it 🙂 just in the form of the drug regime I’m on.
Southvalleyboy: My virus strand mutated twice before we got it under control. I used Truvada for about 8 months. As far as it being beneficial, used correctly yes it can be very beneficial and a safeguard. But if you’re having responsible sex, PrEP is simply an extra guard for your safe practices. I’m excited that this is available but sad that we are marketing it as a bareback ing failsafe. My advice to my younger me is just to educate myself, don’t live destructively and make sure I’m not putting myself in risky situations just because it feels good.
33 year old on PrEP here. Anyone who thinks that me taking PrEP isn’t me taking responsibility for my own health is a moron.
The honest answer is that I wasn’t always playing safe prior to taking PrEP, and rather than do nothing, I went to my doctor, talked with him now have some level of protection from HIV. It’s not perfect, but neither are condoms.
STD rates are going up. I had gonorrea and a friend contracted syphylis. Both are, of course, treatable and temporary conditions, at least right now. I know that.
Some guys in the 90s still chose to take the risk of bareback sex and seroconverted. PrEP is easier to schedule and less likely to be forgotten in the heat of the moment. And, when I settle down with the right guy I can go off of the expensive medication instead of needing it for the rest of my life.
Grow up guys. Blaming guys taking PrEP is only going to make the situation worse.
By the way, I should mention that my current cost for PrEP out of pocket is zero. My insurance company would rather pay a thousand dollars a month now than even more money down the line for HIV treatment and complications for the rest of my life.
I can’t believe it took 28 posters to finally comment on the downfall of PreP. That pill does nothing to stop the propagation of gonorrhea, syphilis or chlamydia which are all on the rise for reported cases. These fun bugs are transmittable orally as well as anally and becoming more resistant to antibiotics.
I think the biggest absurdity is that adam4adam.com had the gall to provide “Negative – On PreP” or “HIV – Undetectable” as a health status for profiles. If they insist on keeping that, then they should also include HPV, and Herpes as options. Those are also incurable and propagated through unsafe sex.
I cringe every time I see ‘on PrEP’ as it is rarely next to ‘safe sex’.Guys are using this stuff as an excuse to bareback.
PrEP is not 100%, even when taken as directed.Given the large number of partners many guys have, it won’t take too many years of bb’ing until you are exposed.
And that ignores side effects and everything else non-HIV that may come along with unprotected sex.
If you get on this stuff, please don’t chuck the condoms away.
Drugs like PrEP and vaccinations are about statistics that apply to the entire populace. Individuals look at these things at the individual level. For the individual as this guy writes about, he cannot use PrEP because of the strain of HIV he has. This is not really the point. The more people on it the less possibility that it is passed to someone else. Should people be responsible and should there be education of course but the simple fact of giving out PrEP far and wide reduces the expansion of the virus.
I really appreciate this article and a lot of the comments I read. I have often thought it strange that gay men would take PrEP as an HIV preventative, have bareback sex and not worry about a host of other STDs that could be contracted in the process? Am I missing something here? Not to mention, the idea of taking a potentially-toxic chemical into your body over a long period of time, when you don’ have to (as in an HIV protocol). Hmmm.
I don’t know, maybe I’m old fashioned, but as much as I like sex, I really prefer there to be intimacy and connection along with the sex – which, to me, is a great preventative. You get to really know the other person, their values, their character, and you get involved sexually, safely, over a period of time. I’m definitely not a saint, and I love excitement, but I value my body, and I take care of it by avoiding overly-risky situations. In this way, I can agree with what the author is saying – that encouraging men to take responsibility for their connections is a deeper and welcomed method for helping to protect and increase health in the gay community. I love that many people read this article and responded with gratitude – I think it sheds some light and encourages some sanity in our view and choices. Thank you.
It is truly a thought provoking article on PrEP education and gay community in today’s society, but I must be aware as a Medical student that the STDs/STIs are rapidly increasing as stated by the CDC. Theses STDs are being resistance to many forms of antibiotics treatment and so will HIV as a virus. Virus are similar to our T-4 WBCs, they memorize a new form of vaccine and replicate it to fight it off. What makes you think HIV with PrEP won’t be next. I need to aware and educated on viral loads that will eventually in time become resistant to new infectious diseases. All we should do is tr y our best when with another sexual partner is to be knowledgeable and don’t think only with the pituitary gland that releases those sexual hormones, because you only have one Life. Trust me the body is so fragile that it isn’t worth the after shock.
I am in the adult entertainment industry and I think it’s a great plan B for those who made have been exposed to someone who may be positive. I am a top well 95%. The issue that I find it gives people reasons to freely do it they’ve already been doing what they wanted to do sure enough it’s 85% reduction of actually contracting HIV but my biggest concern is what about 4 years from now five years from now even 10 there lots of medications and prescriptions out there that fix one problem but cause at least three or four more issues what are we doing to our cells by taking this? Some day I would like to have my own kid or kids will this affect that in any way will I be it diagnosed with something else what would it be fatal these are all questions you have to ask.
what he is basically telling everyone here is that PrEP/truvada is not the answer to remain hiv non reactive, is the proper term use in the scientific world. Condoms are probably the best way to be safe than sorry so far, so if you guys want to spends tons of money in a near future start saving now be prepare and be ready for the outcome.
Keep in mind, all you tops who are tempted by your friendly neighborhood cumdumps on PrEP, odds are they should have at least gotten herpes and anal warts by now if they’ve been load collectors for any length of time. Keep it wrapped.
Considering that 20% of the world’s population has herpes (either oral or genital), it really should be a non-issue. Especially since recent studies show that most people will contract one of the HSV strains (-1 or -2) before the age of 30. Even health clinics who do STI panels don’t test for it because it’s so prevalent and you have to be manifesting the virus to get an accurate test. Oh, and condoms are helpful for prevention, but when it comes to the HSV virus, it’s far from 100%.
That said, yes, you need to be vigilant about anal warts. And HPV. And you should use condoms. But the herpes stuff is so overplayed….
(Source: Me reading the CDC updates. I’m a health mentor and we receive CDC information all the time here at the county clinic. Even the county Chief Medical Officer says herpes is not worth worrying about. You probably already have it and don’t know it.)
The latest studies results:
http://www.queerty.com/study-undetectable-guys-do-not-transmit-hiv-to-negative-sex-partners-20140305
PrEP will be the new street drug because people think it’s the magic “free to bareback” pill when it takes roughly 7 days before its effects can be protective against HIV. And when it’s not taken everyday it’s “defense is lowered for each day you miss a dose.
Safe sex education is what we must always share. Most the time when I’m “looking” I have to share my thoughts about PrEP and how 80% of people using it use it “for the excuse to bareback”
I personally believe it should be for your “active whore months” (summer vacation, etc), +/- couples, adult industry employees, iv drug users, other areas where you’re at higher risk of unwanted exposed. Personally a program for jails/prison sounds like a good place to think about but expensive as truvada is it’s not gonna happen.
Education and ethics of sexual responsibility are always needed.
the human sex drive is as strong as a hurricane and as natural as the weather. …
im shocked that anyone would speak out against a life saving
regimen in the defense of propriety …
seriously! who are you people and what kind of conservative wierdos have infiltrated your conscioussness?
the urge to be sexual is natural and can at times be overwhelming. …anyone with eyes can observe this objective fact… the aids epidemic itself is evidence of this. for why else would have people become infected even in times when there were no drugs to keep people alive…
i read objections to PReP as internalized homophobia and its residual guilt…
i unreservedly encourage anyone who is sexually active to explore it and to enjoy one of lifes greatest pleasures and to
continue to stand against these messages of shame that are ULTIMATELY more deadly than any physical disease.
As Dave knows, I’ve been a thorn in the side of the “just take a pill!” bandwagon that all the PRePers are on, as false a sense of security as anyone can have. Mr. Bird, you have my complete support and thanks for getting on here and dispelling this bullshit out there about Gilead’s “magic pill” that isn’t very effective at what it says it’ll do…it only provides a 51% improvement in evading infection by HIV when used without a condom, that by their own FDA Phase III trial data. You PRePers made my “do not touch” list as soon as this crap came out, because I know it’s a half-hearted scam in terms of stopping HIV…and that what it’s REALLY good at is making Gilead rich. We have increases in HIV infection rates now that we haven’t seen since the late 1980s, and the knee-jerk reaction by certain politicians like Shield Kuehl is to make PReP available to EVERYONE! What good does THAT do if we do not do what Morris Kight exhorted us to do in 1982, that being, “We will conquer this disease THROUGH OUR BEHAVIOR.” I don’t see that happening, and thus I demand tests before play. You out there should too, lest you wind up like our friend MakeMeABird here…and that’s happening more and more every damned DAY. All that said, it is heartening to see many others who are speaking out against this fallacy and who know that, at best, it’s just more-or-less like adding a second condom, nothing more.
Wow , what an article. I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I was diagnosed in 1989 and put on disability in 1991. I am 49 and have been undetectable for 13 years. I am now on my third medication to get back to undetectable and have still have to fight everyday to maintain insurance that will pay for my medication.
@Nope comes blasting away about “ageism” when it’s his generation who are the most enthusiastic practitioners of same. And “sex negative?” What’s that bullshit? IF YOU DON’T WANT TO POZ UP, DON’T HAVE BB SEX…IT’S THAT DAMNED SIMPLE! If you WANT to poz up, take PReP and BB your little fanny off…your number will come up, just like so many I saw it happen to in the 1980s…I quit counting at 212 dead that I knew.
Glad this “Speak Out” was posted to generate discussion for readers. I am actually in the in-between generation; luckily not part of the hundreds of thousands of gay men who died from HIV prior to the introduction of the current antivirals and not part of the youngest generation who may be entering their 20’s thinking that HIV treatment is akin to taking Claratin for their allergies. So in adulthood, I have seen amazing progress in the treatment of HIV but people still die from HIV and complications in the US even on treatment.
I have considered Prep for myself (and even took PEP last year after a lack of good judgment incident with an HIV+ bottom man.) After 20 years of very safe sex, and still being single, I find the idea of carefree, raw sex as portrayed in all the porn and BB hook-up sites very alluring. I really struggle sometimes in the moment to make the safe choices. But I realize that Prep is not the answer for me. Even if HIV wasn’t an issue, I don’t want to be fucking all these guys and getting a continual array of STD’s which is very likely. Plus I think that often once something isn’t taboo anymore, It is less appealing.
So I am not saying all HIV gay men are promiscuous or have STD’s! What I am saying is that a lot of the guys in BB porn and raw hook up sites that I think are so hot from afar, in reality wouldn’t be hot in a real hook up. Not to mention it seems that a lot of guys I chat with on hook up sites are into drugs which I am not.
Sorry to make this so long. I just wanted to share that dating/tricking in 2015, especially for a gay man, still leaves a lot foe me to think about.
I enjoyed this post more than most of the drivle that comes through on this blog. I have a single question…why would one take chemo, with all of its side-effects, in fear of getting cancer? PrEP is kinda the same thing for me. As a relatively new drug, no one knows the long term effects. Does it suck we can’t bareback without risk, YES. But as an educated man, HIV-, in his 40’s, I cannot help but think we need to bring back EDUCATION. Yes, any tool in the Arsenal that can help is a welcome addition, but this pill is not the silver bullet to end HIV or any STD.
Well the condoms need to go back on because human papilloma virus infection from eating ass and fucking raw is on the move in MSM. There is no pill cure for that, nor is there an injection (consider vaccinating your preteen sons with the HPV vaccine), neither does one have to be HIV+ to get infected. Aldara cream is not really effective to treat the virus. The prognosis includes yearly anal paps, the development of high grade lesions, anal biopsies (ouch)and eventually carcinoma of the arse. () There would be no functional hole to receive nut at that point.
Sometimes being frank gets the message across.
– Gay_Doc.
Wow. Long winded blog. I remember being in a virology class talking about this new disease. I remember suggested a histology study of this new auto-immune disorder.
At the time I was a good t-room cruising, bathhouse bottom boy.i was picky tho. Not anyone could fuck me. Very rarely used rubbers back then,rarely do now. Friends lost weight, became demented, died. But graduated to having certain fbs for bareback..
In the current millenium I rarely fuck or get fucked. Still do it bare as top or bottom on the rare occasion it happens. Am still beg. PReP doesn’t remove responsibility. Just risk. I’d try out PReP if I had a sexlife.
Btw..my companion of 14 years is poz undetectable.
Rutherford, I take umbrage with your charge that being against PReP as somehow being “homophobic.” Obviously, you’re poz and on meds, and I think that bug’s screwing with your brain or something. That DOES happen, you know. One of Kaiser-Permanente’s ID specialists says that “cognitive dysfunction” is now a known side effect of HIV infection, whether controlled with meds or not. Maybe you should seriously look into that with your doctor.
It is very difficult to solve any problem by expecting people to change their behavior. I liken transmitting HIV to unwanted pregnancy, or drunk driving. Everyone knows how to prevent these things, but the fallibility of human beings gets in the way. The gay community has failed to stop the spread of HIV through behavior modification (condom use, monogamy, etc) so a new strategy is needed. PrEP may help, but it’s not panacea, much in the way that birth control pills have not eliminated the need for abortions. HIV is still going to spread, until we get a real vaccine, that everyone takes, before they turn of age.
I have debated going on PrEP myself. Honestly, I never felt 100% comfortable using condoms-only to prevent HIV. Usually, I like to use multiple factors to protect myself. When I ride a bike, I use a helmet, wear bright colored clothing, and use blinking lights. For sex, however, I have been limited to a single factor of protection, the condom. Am I supposed to feel comfortable trusting a piece of rubber with my life? Of course, being in a monogamous relationship, or having sex with only HIV- men seem like good options for reducing risk too, but those are dependent on the honesty of people, and I’m not comfortable with that either. So, I think that PrEP may be great option for a SECONDARY layer of protection in addition to condoms, and I am currently considering it.
My opinion? It’s an option for those who can afford it. It’s not a magic bullet. The fine print says to use it with condoms, not instead of them.
These blog comments really need an informed knowledgeable moderator. Lots of judgment being thrown around and out right errors that ultimately propagate stigma. Gonna call u out here.
1. @ Walt super infection is a myth. In the rare event it occurs clinical treatment and results are the same.
2. @Rithmor prep and undetectable r 9999. 8%safe. Condoms are 70% if used 100% of time 0% if not. These are major studies with large cohort 95 CI. Those r the facts jack.
[email protected] it TasP not prep that has reduced the NE infection rates.
A4A I think u just publish this drivel to get a rise out of people. Cut the crap and tell it like it really is.
They problem lies heres that it works for some and not for others. so best best is to always use condoms. people say they are on prep but it basically boils down to it are they really on it. most men will say and do anthing to get laid.
oh great. a Luddite
What no one is mentioning is WHO is paying for all the PReP that everyone wants to get on? These antivirals are very expensive – who foots the bill for that?
As usual, those whose don’t know feel comfortable giving their opinion, while those who know tend to be too shy and silent. I see that many of the comments here – and the original post – acknowledge that they don’t really understand how PreP works… They why do you have an opinion, and why do you think so highly of yourself to share it here?
Educate yourselves, people. PreP is a revolutionary life-savior. If your doctor doesn’t yet know this, please urge him to educate himself with the latest documentation. If You won’t ask your doctor, then you are to blame for making stupid and dangerous decisions (” bareback sex should be with the one you love the most and trust”… REALLY??) based on your lack of scientific knowledge. Stay safe, guys.
I honestly don’t think we should get rid of Prep. That isn’t what this article was about, neither was it condemning people who use it correctly. And I don’t know anyone that could convincingly call me “conservative” haha. BUT…I do think that people misuse this drug as readily as people misuse other drugs. So we have to educate ourselves on what Prep was designed for and use it appropriately or we just put ourselves in the same place we are now with no forward or upward movement. This virus is not polite or nice. Until we find a cure we have to keep it under control but if you give it an inch it can adapt itself to these drugs and there are only so many before there are no more. So we have to be careful and wise, and many of us are not doing that. THAT’S what scares me.
Very interesting & educational posting and replies! As a 57 yr. old HIV- gay man who does not bottom (or top very often, but use a condom when I do) I had heard about PREP but had no reason to educate myself about it. Being from the generation I am, I also witnessed the devastation of the gay community from AIDS, and lost many friends. Over the past decade I have been increasingly disturbed by the increase in bareback sex, especially how it is sensationalized in gay porn. Having lived through the AIDS epidemic, I do not understand why so many gay men have a “problem” with the use of condoms. I am not trying to sound “preachy” – everyone has the right to have sex safely or unsafely, (unless they are HIV+ and hide that fact from their partners, and those people DO exist) but that is another subject for another blog. I lived in West Hollywood for 15 years, so understand what peer pressure & drugs can do to a persons convictions or moral standards. Being “trendy” is “in”, and being young & impressionable & living in a “gay ghetto” such as WeHo, a large percentage of the population is at risk because they believe the false information that is circulated about safe sex & PREP. Of course, the majority of gay men do not live in “gay ghettos” or use drugs, and I hope that many are educating themselves about PREP instead of looking at it as an excuse to have unsafe sex & believing that they are 100% safe. I think the information and discussion presented here would be very beneficial for a meeting at our gay youth center here in Vermont.
Sides HIV, people should be worried about HPV and Herpes. Condoms don’t protect against that, which is why 20% of general population out there have these diseases. I am guessing these figures are higher in gay population as they are skin to skin transmissible, but no one talks about them. Why?
I have started and stopped this post several times. Everyone has their opinion, which they are entitled to, but sending out these angry rants, doesn’t help with anything!
Here are the facts:
1)Men, as a whole, are promiscuous when it comes to sex! They are going to get it whenever and wherever they can.
2)STD infections are up, but HIV infections are down
3)There is NO cure for HIV, but the drugs available to treat HIV can keep a person’s viral load undetectable for years. In turn, this makes it difficult, but not impossible, to transmit the virus to someone else!
4)If you are not going to use condoms, PrEP can be highly effective if preventing someone from becoming infected. It’s not 100% effective, but it is better than not using anything!
5)HIV is NOT a death sentence anymore!
6)It is a personal choice to be on PrEP or not. The point of all of this is that you have to respect a persons decision and support your friends and community in how they choose to have sex.
The bottom line is that if PrEP is not right for you and you don’t want to take it, then don’t! But don’t judge someone else for making their decision to take it by thinking they are just throwing caution to the wind. Not everyone, on PrEP or off, is a whore!
What hypocritical drivel – both from the poster, and many of the respondents.
I’m a middle-aged father of 9 adopted children — I’m investigating PReP as another (as-in: IN ADDITION TO) protective measure so I can be sure to be around, and be healthy, for my children — without having to sacrifice being a healthy, sexually active man.
I am VERY well educated (dual Masters degrees) and know how to do research, and while I haven’t started yet, I have decided to try PReP. So — a few FACTS that are mis-characterized above:
– PReP is TOOL in the fight against HIV. Like any tool, it can be used in its intended way, or otherwise — but it is JUST a tool that when used CORRECTLY can be VERY effective. PReP has no agenda (social or political, anyway), and it is neither “good” nor “evil” — it is just a drug concoction.
– PReP is a prescription drug, that like all prescribed medications, can have varying costs depending upon your health insurance coverage. (Mine is ObamaCare, and PReP would be free for me — but see the caveat below)
– PReP prescriptions are not allowed to be longer than a 90-day supply, because the “protocol” states that patients on PReP MUST be re-tested for HIV infection every 90-days (and for all other STDs every 180 days). You don’t go back to the doctor, or don’t get your lab tests done, and you don’t get your refill (well, by protocol — some QUACK doctors may fail to adhere to this, but they’re supposed to FORCE you to adhere to this part of the protocol).
– Some patients on PReP have shown some negative reactions — mostly in liver or kidney functions, and so far all of the liver and kidney issues have gone away with the discontinuance of the drug. Otherwise, side effects have been limited to headache, nausea, & stomach upset that generally goes away after the first week.
– Efficacy depends on taking the pill DAILY — its ingredients are metabolized and filtered out by your (surprise) kidneys and liver. To be truly effective for any specific activity, you need to have been on it (daily) for all 7 previous days.
– Efficacy against HIV transmission is higher than that of condoms. However, efficacy for prevention of all of the other things condoms can protect you from (like HSV, HPV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and pregnancy) is NIL (aka: NONE, ZIP, ZERO). Thus, PReP is best when used in COMBINATION with condom use.
With those FACTS in mind, let me also share some opinions:
– LGBT people complaining about the sexual morals of other people is HYPOCRISY in its fullest form. 50 years ago you could be JAILED for sucking a cock because the social morals of the time thought it was degenerate and immoral.
– The biblical teachings against sexual activities mostly appear in Leviticus — along with the teachings about not eating pork or shellfish — because of HEALTH issues. (They didn’t have penicillin in 500BC, so a gonorrhea infection was a life sentence to painful urination; and syphilis was DEADLY.)
– In ancient Greece, men routinely had sexual relations with boys — but contrary to your 21st-century morals, that nearly NEVER included ANAL SEX. That was considered DIRTY and was reserved for prisoners of war as a way to denigrate them.
The point being, SEXUAL morality is largely taught as a HEALTH issue, not a moral one. And as drugs and medicine have continued to reduce the health effects of promiscuous sex, we (as a species) have been getting more and more sexual.
One last point: we’re genetically programmed to want to have sex. If we weren’t we’d be extinct! It is one of the reasons why we’re the most abundant mammal on the planet! We fuck — A LOT — and our females are EASY to get pregnant (as a whole — fertility clinics not withstanding).
Also, blaming a drug because some people use it as an excuse to be promiscuous is ludicrous. Why aren’t you complaining about hammers (they’re being used to destroy things and kill people!)? If they find a vaccine (or cure) for lung cancer, should cigarettes still be controlled?
The immoral acts I primarily see (around HIV prevention) are the liars: claiming to be on PReP when they aren’t, claiming to be HIV- when they aren’t, claiming to be “undetectable” when they aren’t. The immorality here isn’t that they’re practicing unsafe sex, it is that they are misleading their partners into a false sense of security. Let the buyer beware?
Chip in St. Petersburg, FL
I have trust issues anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me if a guy says he is on PrEP. I will still use a condom. If I were in a relationship with someone and knew for a fact that they were faithfully taking it I MIGHT be inclined to think differently, but until then, it will be wrapped up.
Hmm, so when your virus mutated, did it mutate as a result of your noncompliance with your medication? Did you have an encounter in which you were exposed to another strain? Or were you compliant with no exposures and just had the misfortune of your aggressive strain? Just curious to gain perspective. Thanks for sharing your story.
Good read
When I say I am Undetectable on Prep, I am offering proof That I am as “clean” as “clean” can get. HIV Negative guys don’t have up to the minute scientific proof that their bloodstream is scrubbed clean, and then reinforced with a drug PROVEN to be far better protection than with the fallible condom alone. I can provide the medical fact that no one can catch HIV from me, First I am undetectable and that is a guarantee and in addition I also have Truvada (because no one on PrEP has ever infected anyone ever) I can’t contract another strain of HIV from you (because that’s never happened to anyone on PrEP ever).
HIV negative guys are NOT “clean”. They are unaware of their up to the moment status. Many have the kind of naive, cynical and prejudicial points of view expressed in this feed. Alot of Neg guys practice denial, makes excuses, considers himself and exception, allows himself to slip up an be unsafe once in a while. The only way to know if a Neg guy is as clean as he believes himself to be is if you are in the doctors office when he gets his results.In my opinion these are the reasons men are still getting HIV.
You will catch HIV from the guy who believes he is negative. You will catch HIV with a condom because it’s easy to cut corners with it. You will not catch HIV from a guy on PrEP. Add a condom to that and you have your guarantee.
Here’s the elephant in the room, the reality that isn’t kitschy and cute to talk about; Most Neg guys use a condom every time but the infection rate goes up anyway because condoms are not the best prevention. It’s just that condoms are all we’ve had to work with.
Until now.
FYI:
Many people are very afraid, needlessly:
From “The Swiss Statement”:
“In February 2006, Swiss experts issued a statement concluding that HIV-positive individuals who are on effective antiretroviral therapy (ART),…,cannot transmit HIV through sexual contact.”
I’m not an extremist, but many base their fear of HIV on old, outdated hearsay.
[I strongly suspect that many people commonly have sexual encounters with people who are unaware of their status, or are not upfront. I think the real danger is from those newly infected, or don’t know they are.]
So, safer than condoms alone, but less safe than condoms & effective treatment.
What a truthful article. Many, many years ago before AIDS I got anal warts that was very painful when treated. My Doctor told me at that time, “Don’t let some man’s passion be your pain”, and I tried to live by that. I wish men weren’t so irresponsible, but mostly I wish men cared about their fellow man. They know there poz and just as long as they get off they don’t care abouth the other guy. When I see online in A4A, and craigslist of men 40, 50, 60 plus years old with worn out asshole close up pics epecially with cum leaking out of theri assholes I could just puke. How disgusting, so as far as the younger generations, the older generation sure isn’t showing them an example.
A new tool to prevent the spread of HIV that’s as effective as rubbers… How irresponsible!! What could be worse?… an effective vaccine?… oh horrors! If this is allowed unchecked what’s to prevent gay men from fucking like they’re unconstrained by the limits imposed by pregnancy?
Well written very well written– I have worked in HIV and STD prevention since the 70’s– I am not an innocent to one of those venereal diseases as they were called when I came out– it is just the grace of what ever powers in the universe that have kept me from sero converting to HIV positive. After some time out of the work world this last couple years to recover from some severe health issues – I started back working at a small community medical practice with a walk in STD testing program right in the heart of the gayborhood.( I live int he gayborhood- i know these patients) First you need to know-I pushed for PrEP – I was a consultant on it-I pushed CDC hard for it…plus I am a well known subject matter expert on gay sexual behaviors-around prevention theory and action. PrEP made sense- it is good science when used as it was intended. Today the issue is that today’s modern gay men are undereducated, ignorant and plain stupid about sex and sexual health- constantly hear – I dont want to talk about it is icky or oh gross- Lets just go fuck… Todays youth in general have been raised on water downed sex ed and as a group can not connect the dots because they spend too much time thinking with the little head and not the brain. PrEP was meant to support effective condom use not replace it. PrEP is not a get out of jail free card and it is not a license to be a promiscuous slut-It was meant to make sure if the condom broke you were covered in a secondary way. Like I said I just went back to working in a small medical practice in the last week I have seen 15 bears all with Anal Gonorrhea or Chlamydia, and when asked why they didnt use a condom they say I am on PrEP or I am not detectable –WTF fools? really have we dumbed down the US citizen so much? Have gay men stopped being smart? The top three gay STD’s Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia make it easier for HIV to enter the human system -they make a great gateway by irritating tissue causing open sores. Truvada is used for PrEP because it is an older antiretroviral combo-new combos are being developed because of HIV resistance. the issue I am concerned with is that of the resistance it will happen and is…resistance plus an ass infection and unprotected sex will create the next wave of less treatable HIV…you got think about and keep your inner slut in check–condoms are your friend period- w
When everyone was talking about “use a condom every time”, where was the writer of the article? That’s right! He was out barebacking! Totally ignoring the message of safer sex and using the tools available to prevent contracting HIV.
What’s his message this time? That’s right! “I know that PrEP is highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV, but you should go back to condoms and ignore the latest information about HIV prevention. When condoms were the only line of defense against HIV, I completely ignored that the medical community told me condoms would keep me safer and I decided to NOT use condoms. Now that I’m HIV+, I’m here to tell you to ignore the medical community about the latest information on PrEP and just go use the condom that I chose not to use.”
Bummer that you got HIV, dude, but keep your moral hand-wringing out of my bedroom. You ignored medical advice. Don’t you dare try to shame me for following it.
I am negative, an on prep. Started taking it in April 2015 as an extra precaution against HIV infection. I have sex often with guys from hookup sites. Sometimes group sex where im the bottom for 2 or 3 tops. I Always have protected sex, and only with guys who say they are negative. Fact is people lie about their status or dont really know. Im not going to stop having sex, and im still using condoms, so this is just an added layer of protection. I do have some side effects, namely red irritated eyes very often and use drops to counter that, however should a condom slip off or break, this is another layer of protection for a small irritation. I can stop taking it at any time. HIV doesnt go away once you get it.
I will not judge any guys for their choice of sexual behaviors, were all grown ups on here and should take responsibility for our own actions and choices. Being on prep and using condoms is a choice just as barebacking and being a cum dump. Prep is just an added tool in the fight against HIV. It does not protect against other STI.
I can only say we in this community are our own worst enemy.
I’m all for PrEP and I think all members of high risk groups should consider taking it, but always always always use condoms. Recent history has shown us that a new disease can come out of left field and kill us indiscriminately. To assume that it can’t happen again is ignorant. Both parties could test negative, but you’d never know if you just had unprotected sex with patient zero for the next AIDS-esque pandemic.
I like to optimism that PREP offers but we should not forget that HIV is still alive and well and waiting to attack the body as well as other STDS. We live in a time where condoms are very much needed until a cure is found. We should remain optimistic about the future but continue to practice SAFE Sex. I say keep your cock under wraps.
I’m 32, top, I’ve never barebacked, and I never will. When my insurance kicks in at work, I’m going to talk with my MD about PrEP’s side effects. If I feel those possible side effects are OK, I’ll go on PrEP – BUT I’LL CONTINUE TO USE CONDOMS every time I fuck. Using PrEP as an OK to bareback is suicide.
I personally think that PREP works when i got hired at a hospital they require all of us who work there to be on it cuz of the high risk of transmission in the heathcare workplaces and no it does not give permission as the free to bareback pill since ive been having raw bareback sex way before the pill came out and yes using all the safety barriers does help also going and getting tested every month not just every 3 to 6 months
I find it sadly hypocritical that many of you, who are members on a gay sex hookup site, are sex-shaming people for using PReP.
If you’re having sex, PReP is an additional layer of protection. And no, the “only 51% improvement in evading HIV infection” stats people are throwing around are incorrect. When used daily, there have been NO DOCUMENTED CASES OF ANYONE CONTRACTING HIV WHILE ON PREP – in dozens of studies in several countries.
And as someone who has met some of you, even when you say you “Always” use condoms – you fuckin’ know you don’t. I LOVE you 100% tops who “only practice safe sex” – and the second your dick is out of your pants you want your bottom to take you raw and to take your word that you’re HIV-.
So don’t play high and mighty and pretend you’re better than the #TruvadaWhores who are at least taking their sexual health into their own hands.
If you’re HIV- and fucking around with guys you meet on these sites, then you’re a whore just like the rest of us and you owe it to yourself to educate yourself about PReP.
It’s time to end the stigma.
So many uneducated morons.. The stupid, it burns.
So much to unpack here.
PrEP is a new tool to keep people HIV negative. It works insanely well at doing that. Taken daily, it’s 99% or more effective at reducing the odds of contracting HIV. That’s the same level or greater reduction that a condom provides.
PrEP’s protection works regardless of if a condom is used. Some people use PrEP instead of a condom. Some people use PrEP with a condom. Some people don’t want to use PrEP and will stick to just using a condom. All three are great ways of preventing HIV infections.
PrEP has an added aspect: people on PrEP are tested 2x-4x a year for other STIs / STDs. This testing is in all three holes where an STI might reside: mouth / throat, penis, and ass. Most gay guys not on PrEP are also not regularly checked for STIs. Which is unfortunate, as most people who only use a condom for anal sex tend to overlook that STIs can also be passed through sucking cock.
There’s no evidence that PrEP has lead to an increase in STIs. There’s also no evidence that PrEP has led them to stop using condoms.
Lastly, the public insurance programs through ACA / Obamacare all pay for PrEP. Medicare also pays for PrEP. Programs through Gilead, the makers of Truvada, and PAN, the Patient Access Network, provide assistance in covering copays, regardless of public or private insurance.
Spektator:
“I think the biggest absurdity is that adam4adam.com had the gall to provide “Negative – On PreP” or “HIV – Undetectable” as a health status for profiles.”
How is it arrogant or ill-advised for a hookup site to let its users share important information about their susceptibility to HIV infection, or about the status of their HIV infection?
MistrFistr:
“You PRePers made my “do not touch” list as soon as this crap came out, because I know it’s a half-hearted scam in terms of stopping HIV…and that what it’s REALLY good at is making Gilead rich.”
Why is a potential partner taking medication to prevent HIV infection such a turnoff? Why is this proactive behaviour so offputting?
I’d like to be on PrEP, but I can’t. (Among other things, Health Canada has not listed Truvada for PrEP use, and drugs are not covered under Ontario’s health plan.) If I was on it, I would not abandon condom use for unending bareback sex. I would just live my life knowing that I was that much more protected against HIV infection.
I’m sorry the original poster had such a terrible time with his HIV infection. I just don’t see why someone would be so hostile towards PrEP. What is the automatic connection between the one and the other? I would think that young people being proactive and adopting anti-HIV strategies that work so effectively would be a _good_ thing.
First, It’s not just 51% safe if taken properly it’s 99% + safe. The trials have shown no one seroconverting when taken daily. Also, you have to take creatine tests that need monitoring every 3 months as well as to have a full sexual health check to ensure you can keep using them as you have to be HIV neg for them to be effective.
Secondly, as someone who’s been such a good boy for thirty years I’ve had enough. Enough of the HIV bogeyman that’s sitting in my head constantly nagging at me. Enough of the silent body language tut tutting of the sexual health professionals. Enough of the oppressive caution about my feelings towards other guys.
Protect yourselves yes – check the statistics though. It’s very difficult to be exposed to HIV – it’s difficult to be exposed to anything else. Pleasurephobia is so ingrained due to HIV that people just `go over the edge`. Think first, take PrEP, understand the risks and don’t be jealous of others for either what you would want yourself or the fact that in your mind they are detracting from meeting someone special.
Life is tough. PrEP protects people yet raises questions that gay guys have never had to ask for decades.
The problem I have with all these comments is that I wonder if people would have the same comments if there were bagged up orgies?
FYI:
Many people are very afraid, needlessly:
From “The Swiss Statement”:
“In February 2006, Swiss experts issued a statement concluding that HIV-positive individuals who are on effective antiretroviral therapy (ART),…,cannot transmit HIV through sexual contact.”
I’m not an extremist, but many base their fear of HIV on old, outdated hearsay.
[I strongly suspect that many people commonly have sexual encounters with people who are unaware of their status, or are not upfront. I think the real danger is from those newly infected, or don’t know they are.]
So, safer than condoms alone, but less safe than condoms & effective treatment.
([ ]s need to be removed):
“The second large study to look at whether people with HIV become non-infectious if they are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has found no cases where someone with a viral load under 200 copies/ml transmitted HIV, either by anal or ****l sex.”.
[In the end, I strongly suspect a person is safer with me, BB, who knows they have a very low VL, than they are with a stranger with a condom.]
Perhaps you concur.
Some old Lectures on Vid that I liked:
[If you want the articles and Vids. HMU.]
Prep is another thing that makes me think that if the public knew about what some people do on hookup/dating apps the gay rights movement would be set back 20 years.
“On PrEP” in a profile means “Anything goes!” to me. Hey, it’s a guy’s choice if that’s why he’s about, but it’s my choice that everything does not go for me personally. When I see, “On PrEP”, I move on.
Oh my god, so much fear and misinformation.
GAY BROTHERS: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH. EVERYTHING ELSE ASIDE, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU *AGAINST* SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN CLINICALLY PROVEN TO BE SAFE AND EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE AT STOPPING HIV?
Why would you NOT want to promote one more tool that helps stop HIV?
I mean, come on. If a vaccine against HIV came out tomorrow, would you be AGAINST it because it would cause people to bareback more? :-
Seriously, I don’t understand the OP at all.
If you want to use PrEP, great. If you aren’t great at using condoms, it is an INCREDIBLY effective and powerful tool in the fight against HIV.
If you don’t want to use PrEP, that’s okay too. But how dare you make so many assumptions about people who are ACTIVELY TAKING STEPS to protect themselves from HIV.
Are you living in the dark ages?
How many more people do you want to die from HIV before you start supporting things that help stop HIV?
What are you waiting for?
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
And now, I’ll repeat what some other posters have said, because it is correct and accurate:
PrEP 99% or more effective at reducing the odds of contracting HIV. That’s the same level or greater reduction that a condom provides. Lots of actual scientific studies back this up– I’m not making up this figure– Google it and look for references.
PrEP has an added aspect: people on PrEP are tested 2x-4x a year for other STIs / STDs. This testing is in all three holes where an STI might reside: mouth / throat, penis, and ass. Most gay guys not on PrEP are also not regularly checked for STIs. Which is unfortunate, as most people who only use a condom for anal sex tend to overlook that STIs can also be passed through sucking cock.
There’s no evidence that PrEP has lead to an increase in STIs. There’s also no evidence that PrEP has led them to stop using condoms. THIS IS ALSO NOT HERESY… THIS IS A PROVEN FACT WE’VE LEARNED FROM STUDIES OF PEOPLE ON PREP. GOOGLE IT AND DO YOUR RESEARCH.
Lastly, the public insurance programs through ACA / Obamacare all pay for PrEP. Medicare also pays for PrEP. Programs through Gilead, the makers of Truvada, and PAN, the Patient Access Network, provide assistance in covering copays, regardless of public or private insurance. Yes, the “retail price” is expensive, but if you have insurance, or if you have Medicare, or if you don’t have either, there are options to make it free or very inexpensive.
PLEASE STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION ABOUT SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP HIV. We are all on the same team, trying to prevent that fucking virus from hurting our community any further. Please think about that before opening your mouth and spreading rumors or ignorance.
ONLY AN IDIOT WOULD BLAME OR ATTACK SOMEONE WHO IS TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR OWN HEALTH AND PREVENT HIV FROM SPREADING!
1. Scott, are you saying that PrEP has had zero impact on the spread of HIV? Hard to believe.
2. Big Pharma makes billions on EVERYTHING it markets that hasn’t gone generic. That’s because our government, and especially Republicans, allow Big Pharma to price-gouge everyone who needs its drugs. Check out what five Viagra pills cost at a CVS. $205 is the answer. You can buy the pills cheaper on the Web or through Canada, but you don’t know what you’re getting. Just another example of unfettered capitalism. Other drugs for the HIV-infected are priced out of sight as well. Check out what a round of chemo costs. Don’t blame PrEP, blame the thieves who make obscene profits.
3. Syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, Hep C continue to be huge problems, continue to rise. Education needs to address this.
4. There is another drug component that adds to the problem — crystal meth, which leads to the lowering of inhibitions and extremely unsafe behavior. Again, don’t blame PrEP, look at the whole picture. If you take away PrEP tomorrow, does that mean other STDs will lower? Don’t know the answer, but would guess no. Take crystal meth usage away, and I might have a different answer.
5. I am not on PrEP; I’m HIV positive. I’ve asked guys on these sites who are on PrEP, how the experience has gone? All have found it useful. Have no dog in this word-fight, but think it’s a good debate to have. Happy to see people thinking about all options.
Dear MakemeaBird,
Thanks for your very honest and passionate piece. For the record: I’m 59, have had HIV for 30 years this year, nearly died from it, and lost a whole generation of friends to it, and one very dear and beloved boyfriend.
And I’m hopefully not blowing my own trumpet to say I have been one of the world’s foremost campaigners for PrEP, ever since I first learned about it on 2002. This led me to being co-chair of the PROUD study – the one that really confirmed that PrEP could be incredibly effective in a real-world situation.
I have camaigned for PrEP because I never, ever want people to go through what I went through. I don’t want to wait for HIV to go away when gay men start finally behaving themselves. I want it to go away because we throw every resource we have of sceince and medicine at it. I want it detroyed, disempowered, rendered harmless and irrelevant.
And we are succeeding, slowly. Not just with PrEP but even more by giving medicines to the already-poz guys like me that make us non-infectious. This is starting to work. We continue to develp ever-more powerful drugs. Soon we will have ones that you can take as an injection once a quarter. Slowly, sowly, we wil squeeze HIV and its fear out of the system. But it’s not working well enough yet, and that’s why PrEP has a role.
Ad then what will happen? Well, yes, there are still other sexually transmitted infections. But there are none with HIV’s deadly combination of incurability, 100% lethality and lifelong persistence.
What will happen is that the gay community wil no longer have the fear of death at its heels and will no longer have a deadly virus in our minds to force us to behave. And I do so agree with you that “we skipped the part where we educated people.”
What we didn’t do was do what we should have done even if HIV had not been there. We need to address all the aspects of being gay that lead to isolation, loneliness, hiding away from the world, unhappy drug-fucked sex as a way to deal with life. We need to address the issues that lead to gay men having higher rates of STIs, depression, drug use, drinking and suicide than other groups. And it’s not just ourselves we need to educate. We need to educate societies out of hating us, bullying us and dismissing us. In some countries we now have legal equality – but the work of ensuring gay men have a better quality of life and make healthier choices has to go on.
So don’t blame the pills for random sex and chemsex. Blame the pressures that make that the easiest escape route to happiness. In a way, when HIV is not longer there as a threat, we may finally be faced with the obligation to grow up anyway.
My heart truly goes out to you. very inspirational article by a man who is in a hard place in his life. I didn’t know what prep was until reading this article but now I know and although it can be abused by many there are the few that will use it for what it’s meant to be used for. It is meant to be used for protecting yourself as condoms don’t always give you 100% protection. I will definitely be researching it more to start using it with my sexual partners.
Skyreader:
1. You are right. PrEP has had an impact on HIV. In San Francisco, where it’s become a cornerstone of HIV prevention efforts, it’s driven the numbers of new infections down. PrEP reduces new infections. People who come in for PrEP but turn out to be positive already are linked to care, put on meds, suppress their virus, and thus further reduce new infections that would other wise result.
2. While I’m not a particular fan of the obscene profits of “Big Pharma”, that industry made many of the discoveries and provided the medications that allow our HIV+ brothers and sisters to live full and rewarding lives. Truvada will be fully off patent by 2020. The price will fall.
Right now, Gilead’s co-pay program makes the drug affordable to people with everything but the shittiest of health plans. Sure, Gilead is doing that to keep the price high domestically for the remainder of the patent, but add in the non-profit PAN foundation covers an equally high amount of the co-pay means that PrEP is now affordable by most people with health insurance.
3. Other STDs are a problem. Most, though, are not in the same league as HIV. They are cleared by medications or through the body’s own immune system. Hep C, as serious as it is, is poorly transmitted to HIV- people during sex. (There’s a debate as to if it’s even possible, though I lean to thinking it is).
Not so with HIV+ people, where it’s passed quite easy during sex. Best way to keep people free of HCV? Keep them negative. Best way to deal with STIs in sexually active people? Regular checkups over the course of a year. And while anyone can be checked regularly, PrEP treatment guidelines require it. That’s an awesome improvement.
4. Crystal meth is also a problem. But crystal meth isn’t a problem of PrEP. Suggesting a causal link between them isn’t supported or appropriate. However, unhitching HIV prevention from sex — daily Truvada isn’t taken during sex, unlike a condom which has to be put on before sex — does help in increasing adherence. It may also help with recreational drug / meth use. It’s an issue that’s being studied.
PrEP works. Hands down. It works with condoms. It works without condoms. It works if you are a slut or a saint. It’s effectiveness has been so well demonstrated that everyone from the World Health Organization to our own Centers for Disease Control advocates it as a means of reducing new HIV infections. New infections have remained about 50,000 a year for a decade or more, and that includes the time when we only had condoms available to block transmission.
No one has to use PrEP. But no one should be shamed for using PrEP, either.
MistrFistr: your misunderstanding of the Phase III study data is consistent with the rest of your misinformation. There is ABSOLUTELY NO DATA ANALYSIS that extracts data solely for those who used it without condoms. All data is for mixed condom use ranging from 100% to 0%.
The numbers quoted in the 90%+ range are EFFICACY numbers – how the drug works under full adherence. The lower numbers are EFFECTIVENESS numbers – how the drug works across a range of adherence, from people who took the drug daily to those who threw it away. In early double-blind studies, where some people were taking placebo, a fair number did not take it as directed, if at all. In the more recent open-label trials, adherence has been much higher, and the overall effectiveness numbers were much closer to the efficacy numbers.
I do not like the panning some people are bringing to the writer of this article. Just so some of the haters will know, some of us did not and do not have penetrative sex without a condom. I actually do know that I am not hiv positive. I do not mind showing proof. I live just a few blocks from a free testing sight that gives immediate results. It is most important to address that Truvada instructs that it is to be used as a PrEP WITH THE USE OF CONDOMS. It says that in the directions for use. Another important thing to note is the higher rate of kidney disease resulting in organ failure with long-term use, at least for some people. And we, especially those of us on social media, are very well up-to-date on the newest options. I am also up-to-date on the high percentage of hiv models who work for porn barebackstudios. I am not trying to be a downer. But, prevention is the best messure. Why would anybody want to risk exposing anybody else. Also, a non-detectible does not mean not present.I personally have known many HIV positive people who were not medically compliant because of the harsh side-effects. I know some guys who never disclose status, and another guy who used to flat out lie about his positive status and has spread the disease. I am not bringing shame to the positive community, but the responsibility for protecting myself is on me because nobody else would care about keeping my status huv negative , if I did not. That is the truth. And PrEP does not work with every type of HIV. There are some resistant strains. I have been following Truvada sinse it came out.
Lots of misconceptions.
:There is ABSOLUTELY NO DATA ANALYSIS that extracts data solely for those who used it without condoms. All data is for mixed condom use ranging from 100% to 0%.
The data analysis shows that it’s the Truvada in the system that’s the difference. While all groups had a control that were just counseled and given condoms, it was the counseled, condoms, and PrEP group that showed the biggest reductions in HIV.
Further analysis was done to tie the amount of Truvada in the blood with the protective effect provided. The more days Truvada was taken, the higher the blood concentration, the less likely HIV infection. PrEP works regardless of if a condom is used. Its protectiveness works regardless of if a condom is present or not.
>The numbers quoted in the 90%+ range are EFFICACY numbers..
Earlier this year, Smith (2015) mapped the effectiveness of PrEP vs. condoms at preventing new HIV infections. When looked at from a population level, mixing and matching how well people used a particular method of preventing HIV, condoms are about 70% effective. PrEP is about 86% effective at stopping new infections.
That means that when you consider people who use a condom all the time, people who think they use it all the time but really don’t and the times condoms break vs. those people who take PrEP every day, don’t actually take it every day, and those who don’t, PrEP stops more new HIV infections than condoms do.
Is PrEP better? The best protection is the protection that you will use. Some people are great at using condoms. Some are terrible. People appear to be better at using PrEP, and even when they suck at it, it still provides a level of protection that condom doesn’t. You have to decide what works for you.
>Another important thing to note is the higher rate of kidney disease resulting in organ failure with long-term use, at least for some people.
This isn’t the case for HIV- people on Truvada for PrEP. From studies, 98% of people who take PrEP have no problems. 2% of people have kidney irritation that requires they stop taking PrEP. Once they stop, their kidneys are no longer irrupted. Their fine. Of that small group, and again from research, 99% are able to restart Truvada and no longer have any problems with their kidneys. It’s a fraction of a fraction that can’t take. Due to the regular monitoring, organs don’t fail in Hiv- people on PrEP.
Also, people who take PrEP do have a small decrease in the calcium in their bones. It’s noticeable when studied. But it’s not a reduction that can cause broken bones or otherwise impair life. Even so, most people who take Truvada for PrEP also take calcium supplement — like an antacid — and vitamin D2 to counter any calcium loss.
> And PrEP does not work with every type of HIV.
This is just simply wrong. There’s no published clinical evidence of a “Truvada resistant strain” breaking through PrEP to infect someone.
>Also, a non-detectible does not mean not present.
True, but that doesn’t mean anything. The question is, if some is virally suppressed, can transmit HIV. The answer to a pretty high degree of certainty is “Nope.” The preliminary results of the largest mixed status HIV couples to date does not show any HIV being passed from the positive to the negative partner. The study will end next year.
If you have a long time or regular partner and know they are HIV suppressed, there’s no evidence you are at risk of contracting HIV from them. If you are randomly hooking up, of course you have no idea what your partner’s HIV status -actually- is. There are three ways to protect yourself, though. One is using a condom, the second is using PrEP, the third is using a condom and PrEP.
It’s your choice what you want to do.
i regret there is no pill to block the effects of the mistrfistrs and others who seem so very lost in shame and bile
and its resulting fear and hostility
vote for bernie!
feel the bern!
and to the guy from canada…now that we got rid of harper im sure that situation will change..
sexy love and light to all my gay brothers!
Darklamp71104, I hope you know that an HIV test does not necessarily show that you are negative. Unless it is a DNA-based test, it just indicates you are not producing antibodies to HIV. Most of the time, yes, this does indicate that you are HIV negative, but it can also mean that you have just been infected and not producing antibodies. You could well be highly infectious. Anyone showing me a paper claiming that they were HIV negative–and how would I know it was legitimate?–would not be taken terribly seriously.
Non-detectable does not mean that HIV is not present, and never did, but only that the virus cannot be detected. This, as multiple studies have indicates, makes it very difficult for someone HIV-infected but undetectable to actually infect someone.
As for Truvada-resistant strains of HIV, they exist but are rare. Combining Truvada use with condom usage is probably the safest strategy. That said, discounting Truvada arbitrarily strikes me as a major mistake. The evidence is in: Truvada is good HIV prevention.
I really like the other guys comment. Does anyone volunteer to have chemo!?.
I hate to state the obvious but if the people this article were criticizing didn’t exist this dumb website wouldn’t get enough traffic to sustain itself.
By the way, if you’re going to sit here and lecture us about responsibility, perhaps you shouldn’t have out off getting tested for HIV for the 5+ years it takes for the disease to progress to that point? If you had followed your own advise none of that bad stuff would have happened.
Also, Gillead, the manufacturer of Truvada, will help pay for the pills if your insurance doesn’t. Mine does and Gillead covers the copay. I pay nothing to get the meds!
Kudos to you Jody, it is great to see some intelligent, educated, and well informed comments on here for a change. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I would only add that Kaiser Permanente (the largest provider of PrEP, at least in the Northern CA region) has released well publicized info that not one case of hiv conversion has occurred in any of more than 500 PrEP patients in San Francisco representing more than 800 years of statistical data…and this was released in Dec, 2014. The number of PrEP users continues to grow exponentially here in the Bay Area. Kaiser has stated that PrEP effectiveness is 100% if used daily. Obviously people who have insurance and go through the somewhat tedious process of getting on PrEP (referral, lab tests, etc.) are serious about adhering to the daily regimen. PrEP has the potential of eradicating hiv/aids, at least in mainstream America, in the span of a generation! We all hope for a vaccine but until that happens PrEP is the best thing we have.
Finally, a way to prevent a social disease that disregards society! That disregards the sexual behavior of everyone except the singular person using a drug. That disregards people at every stage of their life except when they are on that drug. That disregards every aspect of gay health except for HIV status. I’m sure proponents of this drug are right, that a viciously profit oriented pharmaceutical company is handing the gay community the means to remain healthy with a drug which is about to fall off the patent cliff. HIV will be practically eradicated, and every single PrEP user is going to continue indefinite administration of prevention pills for a drug no one gets. Chemoprophylaxis is a marvelous way to stop STDs, evidenced by the smashing success we had using penicillin for PrEP against Syphilis in the 70s, and with PEP in the UK.
If you belive this, I have oceanfront property in The Rockies I’d like to sell you!
Special discount on beachfront property just outside Denver to all the PrEP users who are HIV-shaming the writer. Great to see HIV stigma alive and well amongst avowed barebackers and hypochondriacs. Absolutely no question about the critical thinking skills of people who shame someone for getting a disease preventable with condoms which they either don’t use or don’t trust.
Double discount to all the big name “HIV activists” who’ve flooded this thread to talk about all the hard work they’re doing to make AIDS a thing of the past. Sure, these geniuses could’ve promoted Test and Treat at any time in the last 20 years, ending forward transmissions and making HIV less horrible than they describe it. They were busy asking important questions about whether the added toxicity of a couple extra years of treatment outweighed the toxicity of the untreated virus. Questions that they inexplicably never asked when it came to giving these same drugs to people that don’t even have HIV. Clearly, these “activists” are interested in having as much money as they can, so a solid discount is going to be vital to selling them anything.
Triple discount to anyone trying to make the case that this drug doesn’t lead to more STDs. Anyone who believes this isn’t going to let silly things like “common sense” and “obvious statistical cherrypicking” get in the way of the oceanfront Denver home they deserve! Come on guys, I’m promising it ON THE INTERNET, so it must be there!
I havn’t read all the replies to this observation, so sorry if I repeat. The good and bad thing about humans is we are so diverse. I wear a crash helmet when I ride my motorcycle at 100 mph, I pull my cord late when I sky dive. I can’t understand why anyone would ride a Harley at 50mph with no helmet. I like the thrill of bb sex. PrEP is my crash helmet. I know that if I come off at high speed it just makes the clean up easier for the paramedics. PrEP offers me a huge amount of protection, it’s not a guarantee against hiv and nothing against other stds, but it has changed the way I think about sex, probably to the thinking people had sex before hiv. At least I am being proactive about trying to stay hiv-.
I have been taking prEP for about nine months. I don’t have any side effects and my out-of-pocket expense for the medication is $0.00.
I am one of those nerdy guys that actually read the profiles of potential sex partners. Likewise, I read lots of articles on prEP and the trial results before deciding to get on the medication. I continue to read about this medication as more information is released and more trials are performed.
As more and more variables are controlled in the trials, the more effective this medication tends to be. Also, this is not a “new” medication. It has been around for decades. However, using it as a prophylaxis is new.
I am REQUIRED to visit my doctor and to get tested every three months to receive the medication and to have my prescription renewed. Blood is drawn from my arm, I pee in a cup and swabs samples are taken from my throat and ass. During these doctor visits, I am reminded to take the medication daily, which I do.
In addition, I have taken the Hepatitis A/B vaccine and have been tested for Hepatitis C. So, I KNOW my status. When was the last time you got tested?
I am not a proponent of condoms. I have fished them out of my ass because they came off during sex and been frustrated by them because the Top lost his erection when we stopped to put one on.
So, I am glad I made the decision to use this medication. My anxiety of catching HIV is much lower now and I’m enjoying sex more.
How do you know people aren’t being educated? I’m on prep and your right I was never educated on it. But as a young man I did my own education and I understand how to use it and what it is used for.
PrEP is a weapon in the fight against more people becoming infected. But it should not be an excuse to carry on like it was 1979. Condoms are usually effective, and need to always be a part of sex. Adding PrEP should just be viewed as an extra layer of safety–not a magic pill that makes you invincible. Because none of us are.
personally i’m in favor of prep, but used correctly as directed. it should be used as the ‘morning pill’ in case you had unprotected sex or the condom broke and don’t know the person’s status for sure, any barrier is better than none. but when it’s used as a ‘free for all’ that’s when it cheapens the deal on prep.
either ways, it’s rather creepy to meet unknown strangers from an app, not really knowing shit about that person, you know, people will say sweet words to you to get you ‘in the mood’ and you just never know to be honest. a lot of lying men on those apps just to ‘get off’….