I just wrote a loooonnnngggg post about how to take care of yourself if you choose to have unprotected sex. I ran it by an STI Counselor friend who said I had forgotten to write about PrEP. Instead of adding it to yesterday’s post, I am writing about it separately.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is when people at very high risk for HIV take HIV medicines daily to lower their chances of getting infected. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout your body. It is highly effective for preventing HIV if used as prescribed, but it is much less effective when not taken consistently.
Daily PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%. Your risk of getting HIV from sex can be even lower if you combine PrEP with condoms and other prevention methods.
So, while PrEP can help with HIV, it does not help with other STIs… it is important to know and remember that is what condoms help with. But, for many, HIV is the biggest fear of all and you can mitigate much of that risk with PrEP.
Just like the testing, you can get PrEP confidentially. You do not have to go to your own doctor for it. Google “Where can I get PrEP [your city]”. Insurance often pays for it, but if you do not want to use your insurance (and I certainly understand why NOT to use it!), there are many programs that can help with paying for PrEP.
PrEP is for HIV-Negative people, so you will be tested before being prescribed the medication. This is a great thing! You will know your status and then can move forward with the information to keep you healthier, no matter the results.
If you have questions about PrEP, feel free to email me Daphne@EnchantrixEmpire.com and I will help you find resources in your area.
THE OTHER BLUE PILL!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I am so glad that you wrote about this, Miss Daphne. It’s time that someone did! This is important info for our callers and readers to have as they play IRL, and the developments being made to help them should be known by all. Thanks again for putting this out there!
Thank you so much, Ms. Amber! THANK YOU!
Thank you.
I did hear that there is an issue of those on PrEP engaging in much more risky behavior than might be advisable. I would still say that condoms are the way to go, especially when other STIs are still roaming around. PrEP does add an extra layer of protection and peace of mind, though. 🙂
Yes, Ms. Piper, I asked if PReP was encouraging more risky behavior and the HIV Educator said, “Yes, for some. Definitely.” But for many others, she said, they were already having unprotected sex and this would save a lot more lives than if they went without.
Made perfect sense to me!
Oh, and YES YES YES on using condoms! Absolutely! That is the protection of choice against all the other STIs, for sure. Thank you for the extra reminder!
Thank you!
Great post, Ms. Daphne!
I think we share a couple people, and have our own who DO play IRL, and love bareback sex. I was just speaking to someone recently, and also texted with another the same week, and advised them to check into PREP. There is also PEP for accidental exposure after the fact.
Life is short. Sex is FUN! I think it is important to recognize both those things, and play accordingly.
HUGS you hard for doing this post. It is fantasitc, and I hope our wonderful readers take this to heart!
Thank you… I know you understand… I know you care about your clients the way I do. I also know this isn’t the sexiest of posts, but hey, sometimes sex isn’t all sexy, right? It can be sweaty, noisy, smelly and… requiring some added attention to stay safe.
Thank you for being someone who informs her clients, too!
MUCH love!
Hi Mistress Daphne
Thanks for this great introduction. I would like to say that I am fairly well acquainted with this topic, from the point of view of someone engaged in biomedical research. Indeed, I am often amazed at how badly even researchers in this field muddle the issues and create distracting and confusing ‘explanations’.
One thing I would like to add is that there are in principle various drug combinations (‘regimens’) which can be used as PrEP, but in all cases, they are combinations of the same drugs that are used to control HIV infection once it has actually occurred (so called “antiretrovirals” or ARVs. They are just used at a lower dose, and typically a regimen consists of just two drugs combined, instead of the usual three that are used to control an actual infection. I think this is important to know, partly because there are implications for long term use, and generally, people should know what they are taking, especially when it is considerably more of a burden on the system than a daily vitamin C supplement.
Perhaps one more thing – I see mistress Delia, in a reply, mentions PEP (which stands for ‘Post Exposure Prophylaxis). Because it is well-nigh impossible to conduct a study to explicitly measure how well this works, we don’t really know whether it has much chance of preventing infections. It may – but even if it does not significantly reduce the risk of acquiring HIV infection – a short course of ARVs after an infectious exposure is likely to take the edge off the initial course of infection, and may give significant benefits in terms of long term prognosis, by limiting some of the irrepperable harm that seems to be done to the immune system in the early stage of HIV infection. This early harm does not usually manifest in any obvious way for some time, but it is well described scientifically
Anyway – great idea to write this piece, Ms Daphne – and nicely done!
My dear footlicker,
You cannot possibly know how wonderful it was to see your extended comment about the posts about HIV prevention and safety. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your expertise and kindness to complete strangers. You are a blessing in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Thank you for all you do, my dear friend.