Can I stop PrEP completely?
As with the flexibility for dosing, you might decide that you want to stop PrEP altogether. This can apply to both oral and injectable PrEP.
Please discuss this with your clinic.
You might want to discuss this with your partner(s) and get tested for HIV and other STIs together. Use a 4th generation HIV test six weeks after the last time you had sex.
Stopping oral PrEP
Yes, it is easy to stop PrEP.
Please discuss this with your clinic.
You might want to discuss this with your partner(s) and get tested for HIV and other STIs together. Use a 4th generation HIV test six weeks after the last time you had sex.
How you stop PrEP depends on how you were taking PrEP.
How you stop oral PrEP depends on how you were taking PrEP.
If you were taking daily PrEP, then continue for seven days.
If you were using event-based dosing, then stop after your last planned dose. This will be after two days with 2:1:1 dosing or seven days with 2:7 dosing.
- It is always easy to restart PrEP in the future if your circumstances change again.
- If you stop PrEP and have a risk afterwards, please contact your clinic. This is in case you need post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Outside of clinic hours, please contact A&E.
- PEP needs to be started as soon as possible. Please see:
Is PEP recommended if I am on PrEP? - Q&A factsheet on PEP.
Stopping injectable PrEP
Special advice is needed if you decide to stop injectable PrEP.
This is because of how long these drugs stay in your body. In theory, if for any reason you become HIV positive after stopping PrEP injections, the virus might develop resistance to the PrEP meds.
Changing to oral PrEP if you continue to be at risk of HIV will prevent drug resistance.
This is important to know about even if you are stopping PrEP because you are no longer at risk.
Last updated: 1 November 2025.