Can I stop PrEP completely?

As with the flexibility for dosing, you might decide that you want to stop PrEP altogether.

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.

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?

Last updated: 1 February 2024.