All About PrEP
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis
What is PrEP?
- Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, is a preventative medication that can help reduce transmission of HIV from one person to another through sexual contact by up to 99% and through injection drug use by up to 74%.
- The first medication used for PrEP, Truvada, was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2012. Since then, Descovy and generic Truvada have also become available on the market. Several pharmaceutical companies continue to work and progress in trial stages for other PrEP options.
- PrEP is an HIV prevention tool that can be used with condoms and/or other preventative methods to provide greater protection. PrEP alone does not protect you against other sexualy transmitted infections (STIs) or pregnancy.
Who Should Consider PrEP?
PrEP is for people not living with HIV who participate in activities that may expose them to the virus from condomless sex or injection drug use. PrEP can be considered for people who:
- Have been diagnosed with a recent STI (within the last 6 months)
- Have had condomless sex
- Have a partner who uses injection drugs
- Shares needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs
- Have a partner living with HIV
- Have multiple partners
How do I get PrEP?
- It’s important to talk to a healthcare provider about PrEP and complete lab tests to see if PrEP is right for you, these include HIV and STI testing and a lab draw
- PrEP requires regular follow up visits to your medical provider every 3 months, which includes regular labs to track kidney function and STI screenings
How do I pay for PrEP?
- NAP offers free clinic appointments (in-person or thru telehealth), as well as free lab draws. PrEP medication is covered by most insurance companies.
- NAP staff tries to make access to PrEP as affordable as possible and that means trying to get folks to an out-of-pocket cost of zero.
- We are not always able to accomplish this, but there are many assistance programs out there- pharmaceutical co-pay cards, medication assistance programs, foundations/grants for medication, etc.
Where can I learn more about PrEP?
Any medical questions or concerns should always be addressed with a physician. However, if you wish to discuss basic PrEP information, our PrEP clinic staff are knowledgeable and can answer most questions. Please contact 402-552-9260 X109.
Other resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html
https://www.greaterthan.org/campaigns/lets-talk-about-prep/#hear-different-figures-well-prep-works
https://www.sfaf.org/resource-library/prep-facts-introduction-faq/