Question
Is there a benefit to taking PEP for more than 28 days?
15 November 2021. Related: All topics.
Can I take PEP for more than 28 days to get the best results?
Answer
Hi Kennedy, how are you?
Thanks for the question. There is no data to support that taking PEP for any longer than 28 days is beneficial. In exceptional circumstances the course may be extended, but does require very specific criteria to be met and consultation with an HIV specialist.
Taking PEP every day for the 28 day course is what minimizes your risk most. This page will explain how best to use PEP for the best results.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
Josh
Hi Jack, PEP can still be effective even if you have lost the last dose.
Missing a dose of PEP is much less of a problem at the end of the course rather than the beginning. You do not need to worry about only being on PEP for 27 days rather than 28.
PEP: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Hey please help.i took the PEP pills for 27 days cause i lost the other one. Will it still work?
Hi Bonny, for information about PEP please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Can people tell us whether they successfully survived or pep failed here
Hi Winnie, continuing to take PEP for an extra 14 days will not have caused you to become dizzy. If you hadn’t already experienced this side effect, it would not have appeared recently. PEP can be taken for a lifetime without side effects if when it started there was none.
Hi, this is a follow-up from my previous comment. I went to the hospital on the 28th day of my last dose. I was given extra dose for 14 more days. But I’ve been feeling dizzy a lot these.
(Please help, I’m on PEP and I’ve taken for 25 days currently. I got exposed again on the 14th day. Is it safe for me to take extra dose of PEP for extra 30 days?)
Hi Winnie, no you do not need to take extra doses of PEP. Being exposed mid way through your course means your course of PEP will have acted as PrEP. You can finish your course of PEP now.
PEP: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
I’m on PEP and I’ve taken for 28 days today, which is the last. I got exposed on the 14th day. I’m not sure about his status as it was a first time thing. Should I take extra doses of PEP?
Hi Winnie, you do not need to take any extra doses. While on PEP, the treatment will also work like PrEP. This means you are protected from further exposures. You can finish your course of PEP when originally planned.
PEP: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Please help, I’m on PEP and I’ve taken for 25 days currently. I got exposed again on the 14th day. Is it safe for me to take extra dose of PEP for extra 30 days?