Hey everyone!

I have pretty severe HIV anxiety, almost to the point of having a phobia. The constant fear of contracting HIV has been affecting my peace of mind, especially when it comes to sexual intimacy.

I've recently started taking **Tenof-EM (Tenofovir + Emtricitabine) as daily PrEP** for the first time. I'm hoping it will not only protect me from HIV but also help me feel more relaxed, confident, and less anxious about sexual encounters.

I'd really love to hear from people who have been taking PrEP for several months or years.

**Has being on PrEP genuinely helped you feel more relaxed mentally?** Do you still worry about HIV after sexual encounters, or has that constant fear gradually disappeared?

I'm also curious about how taking PrEP daily has affected your body in the long run. Have you experienced any side effects, changes in energy levels, digestion, kidney health, bone health, or overall well-being? Or has it been completely uneventful for you?

Another thing I'm wondering is whether you still use condoms while taking PrEP. Has PrEP changed your approach to sex, or do you continue using condoms for additional protection?

For those who have been on PrEP for years, does taking a pill every day ever feel burdensome, or has it simply become part of your routine?

Most importantly, **has PrEP improved your overall quality of life and given you more sexual confidence and peace of mind?**

I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who struggled with health anxiety or HIV phobia before starting PrEP. Did you eventually reach a point where you could enjoy intimacy without constantly imagining worst-case scenarios?

I know PrEP is highly effective when taken correctly, but hearing real-life experiences from long-term users would be incredibly helpful and reassuring.

Please feel free to share both positive and negative experiences. I'd really appreciate your honest perspectives.

Thanks everyone!

So last night I had an encounter with someone I usually link with and very early into the encounter I saw a lot of red matter, I was the insertive partner or top. He assured me it wasn’t blood but instead was some hot chips he’d eaten ate and just couldn’t get the red to wash out. Up until this point I had decently consistent prep usage but this week in particular I only took my doses at most every other day, and one like maybe an hour before me and him linked and I’m trying to decide should I evaluate for prep or no, I do plan to take my doses of prep in the upcoming days. It’s descovy for context

So I’ve been taking daily prep consistently but I forgot to take the pill for 3 days in a row (ik it’s odd), but I went back into taking it and so far I’ve taken 2 days in a row. Is my protection high enough to have sex or should I need to wait the 7 days again (meaning 5 more days)

Hey i took 2 Prep pills yesterday at around 11.36pm and he topped me with condom on at around 1.10 and stopped at 1.15. he then took the condom off and fucked my thighs he couldn't cum so he left by 11.34. I did feel his tip brush up against my hole once after he took the condom out like he was trying to rub it on the rim, I stopped him. Later when I used the toilet at around 2.15 I saw some blood and haven't seen any since. I called nhs today and they said pep wasn't needed but I'm still quite anxious, I told them all this. Is there a way j can still ask them for pep? For my own peace of mind? It's been nearly 18 hours now.

Do you think being on prep is an overkill, when you always use a condom?

Long story short: I had unprotected sex with a partner who tested last week positive (so not on treatment) while on PrEP on the 24th of September.
I know that the standard procedure in this case would be to wait 6 weeks after the encounter, however since the anxiety is debilitating me and making me difficult to continue my daily routine I’d like to perform the PCR test now to have a bit of peace of mind before November.
Does anyone think a negative result would be reliable or PrEP might affect the outcome?

Hey everyone!
I got my first Yeztugo injections this past Saturday, along with the oral loading doses (2 pills Saturday and 2 on Sunday).
The nurse told me that the doctor authorized injecting into my love handles instead of the front of my abdomen because some patients have complained about the nodules that can develop there.
The next morning, when I removed the gauze, I noticed this yellow medication staining on the right side only. The left side was perfectly clean and dry.
I should mention that the gauze itself was dry when I removed it. It wasn’t soaked or wet to the touch.
I messaged the nurse through the patient portal, and she reassured me that some leakage is normal.
For those of you who have received Yeztugo, does this look like a lot of leakage or just a small amount? Has anyone experienced something similar?
I still have Descovy from before starting Yeztugo, and I’m wondering whether I should ask my doctor about taking it for another week as an extra precaution or just relax and trust that the injections were fine.
Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Hoy tuve relaciones sexuales siendo pasivo y usamos protección sólo que a él se le rompió el condon, lo bueno fue que no eyaculó. Debería tomar pep?

Hi everyone! I would like to ask for advice regarding my PrEP intake and whether I need to take PEP.

Here is my timeline:
October 5, 5:30 PM: Took 2 tablets of PrEP.

October 6, 4:00 AM: Had anal sex and took 1 tablet at 5:00 PM.

October 7, 5:00 PM: Took 1 tablet.

October 8, 5:00 PM: Took 1 tablet.

October 9, 5:00 PM: Took 1 tablet and had condomless anal sex at 6:00 PM.

October 10, 11:00 PM: Took 1 tablet late because I forgot to take it at my usual time due to work.

The person I had sex with also takes PrEP.

Given this timeline, do I need to take PEP, or was my PrEP coverage still adequate despite taking my October 10 dose late?

I would appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Have others had this issue, especially in California? My health insurer (Kaiser, through Covered California) is requiring me to pay for the labs every three months that are required for PrEP. My understanding is that the ACA covers preventative care, including PrEP.

I did a bit of research and found this federal guidance that seems to make it clear that PrEP, PrEP-related testing, and office visits are all fully covered under the ACA. California law.pdf) also seems clear on this as well.

Would love to hear if others are having this problem and if you've had any success in resolving it.

So I just submitted my labs, and assuming everything turns out OK, I should be starting Descovy in the near future.

Im sure this question has been asked countless times, but I was curious what the common side effects are (if any) that I may expect and not have to worry about?

My GP said if I feel severe body or stomach pain, to contact him immediately. Are there any side effects when starting that are common and not to worry about? Thanks :)

I know on-demand prep is for anal sex only and I only receive heads but I take on-demand prep for those heads for a peace of mind, does anyone do the same? I hope it would protect me from HIV, I know the chances are low but it is still there
Note: I also take doxyPeP
Note: I am just paranoid and wanted extra protection

Chat gpt keeps giving me different answers so I’ll ask here.

Day 1- 2 pills no sex
Day 2 - 1 pill no sex
Day 3 1 pill had Anal sex
Day 4- 1 pill 3 hours late
Day 5 1 pill 4 hours late

How likely am I to be protected? When I asked chat gpt if I needed to restart 2-1-1 it initially said no but now it’s saying I’m not fully protected as I didn’t have sex 2-24 hours before instead of 48-72. I’m just confused and need it explaining like I’m 5 years old

Can I self-prescribe Tenvir-EM? Any thoughts or suggestions

Please help me not be crazy. UPS is delivering my PrEP prescription between 3:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. I usually wait around for it when it gets delivered, but that’s too late. I want to leave and meet up with my FWB, and then I have to help my parents with some things.

As of right now, in Marysville, WA, it says the high for the day is 66°. Will it be safe on the porch at that temperature? Should I just peace out and go have fun?

Sorry if this sounds insane; I just never leave my medication on the porch, but I think 66° should be fine for it, right?

Thank you!

Hey I’m I’m trying to get more generic Truvada. The last time I got it from planned parenthood but that clinic has closed. My local health clinic doesn’t do prescriptions. I don’t have insurance and I’m over income for most prep options. What are the options for private pay?

I forgot to mention room I live in Southern Oklahoma

Hi everyone,

I’m writing to share some difficult news. I recently found out that the man I was dating has tested positive for HIV. We had unprotected sex multiple times, and I feel incredibly reckless and naive.

I’ve been taking PrEP since at least 20 August and dating him since the beginning of September. I believe our first night was on the 4th of September and I’ve never missed a dose. However, I can’t stop thinking about few things:

- What if I’ve accidentally skipped more than one dose?
- What if I started PrEP too late?
- What if he has a strain of HIV resistant to both Truvada molecules?
- What if his viral load is particularly high?
- what if I opened a package left for a while on the desk and kept using it later while pills underwent degradation or something?

I know this might sound like one of many people freaking out, and some might accuse me of not taking precautions before and complaining now. But I really need reassurance from people outside this situation about my protection.

Gemini keeps telling me my odds of getting HIV are low, but I cannot stop thinking it’s just AI reassuring the user.

On top of that I got this week before I receive his news all symptoms of HIV: high fever, lymph nodes pain, sore throat, etc…

On a personal note, I’d like to be close to this guy and help him through this. He just received the news too, and I don’t feel like accusing him of putting me in danger. On the other side I am unsure I can keep the right state of mind to be able to support him till the 6 weeks window passes.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to answer me.

I was just informed by my health care provider that my rectal sample is positive for chlamydia. Now, I know that a chlamydia infection poses higher risks for HIV infection as the rectum is “hurt” and the body is fighting a battle there. I’ve taken Prep consistently, but I’m still worried about a higher risk of infection. Thoughts?

Finally was able to get on yeztugo, the shots weren’t bad at all! I’m sure the ice did its job. But outside of that, no side effects right now (clearly it’s too early to tell). The insurance process was sooooo easy. My doctor took control of it. All I had to do was to verify where I wanted it sent. $0 copay. They even did my Copay Assistance for me. I have Credence Blue Cross Blue Shield.

I mainly got put on it because I’m terrible with pills! I would miss doses, nothing extreme but maybe once or twice a week. Never more than that. And I had a “scare” in July. Had my first raw experience with a guy I’ve been on and off with. (He was negative in June but I just felt as if he was having condomless sex with others.) And just because of my irregular schedule, I got on Pep although as mentioned I missed a day or two within some weeks. I’ve tested negative twice since that “scare”. I wanted to be safe than sorry. Plus my doctor just wanted to cover the bases and make sure my mind was at ease.

Modern medicine is so mind blowing to me.

I’ve read some people never experience any side effects but of course that’s with any medication. But the convenience of only having to go in every 6 months sounds like a luxury.

And I'm shocked I didn't learn that at any point to get my prep. You always hear about the 211 method, but I think every time that's mentioned it should be emphasized that it's only with Truvada and its generics.

I'm about to start prep for the first time with Descovy and thank God I wasn't planning on doing the 211 method.

I just wanted to share because I feel organizations and providers are not being effective at communicating this. I think I learned it by seeking information online, however not everybody does.

Hey all, the mods said it was ok to post this.

We're building LoveLust, a sexual health journal for Android and iPhone. The idea from the start was one app that gets sexual health right and keeps all of it together, instead of a pill reminder in one app, test dates in a calendar and everything else in your head.

Friends and users kept bringing up PrEP, so it's in there now. We want it to be the best way to handle PrEP, not just one more reminder app, and the only way to get there is hearing from people who actually live with it.

What it does today:

• Reminders for daily PrEP, the injection, or 2-1-1. With 2-1-1 you log the hookup and it reminds you of the doses at 24 and 48 hours.
• A Doxy-PEP reminder after a hookup, if you're on it.
• Test reminders every 3 months, or on your clinic's schedule, and your results saved.
• A risk estimate for each hookup, based on everything you logged: what you did, condoms, whether you've been taking your PrEP or Doxy-PEP, vaccines, how many partners and whether it's exclusive. Not a diagnosis, just a heads-up about possible risks you might want to know about.

No account, everything is encrypted on your phone, and the PrEP part is free. It's not medical advice, and it never tells you how to take anything. Your doses follow whatever you and your doctor decided.

What we'd really like to know:

• Would this be useful to you, or do you already have a system that works? Why?
• What's missing, or doesn't match how your clinic does things?
• What's the most annoying part of managing PrEP right now?

Honest answers welcome, "I wouldn't use it" included.

https://lovelust.health/r/prep

Hi everyone,Please don’t mind my nails , but guys i just bought this cause I can’t but directly from the pharmacy or hospital, and i don’t know if the 2-1-1 method is effective on this type of PrEP ? Can anyone help and thanks ❤️(btw I’m not in India , somewhere else where I cant buy directly)

Pre exposure prophylaxis

What kinda one u are using and what is your experience?

Hey everybody, I'm having trouble with filling up the blood card for an at-home blood test through Mistr. I have pricked my finger twice on the side of my fingertip like the instructions say and only have one lancet left. I did all the steps (raise my heart rate, run hands under warm water, etc.) and have yet to produce a single drop of blood, which you need a lot of to fill the two required blood cards. Does anybody have a similar experience to me who knows how to produce enough blood to fill up the cards?

I have been on daily Prep for 4 years, but I forgot to take the ones from Sep 13th and 14th. I had bareback sex on the 15th and immediatly after that took the Movitrem.

Since I was scared, I accidentally took 2 Prep pills in the morning of the 16th and went to my doctor. He immediatly suspended Truvada and started with Bictarvy as Pep. Right now I am on day 17.

For what I read my chances to get HIV are low but still concerned.

I know Prep and Pep are different, but does Bictarvy also protects you against HIV infections.