Question
I finished PEP. Now I have symptoms?
3 February 2022. Related: All topics, PEP/PEPSE, Side effects.
3 days after finishing PEP I am having stomach pain and diarrhoea.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Side effects from PEP would present while taking PEP. Now that you have finished taking PEP these symptoms would not be caused by your medication.
It is also too early for this to be a sign of seroconversion. A number of things can cause stomach pain and diarrhoea. PEP and HIV are not likely in this case. If your symptoms continue/worsen it is important you seek medical help.
Josh.
Hi Khensani, you do not have HIV. Your test results are conclusive.
For more information about testing please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
I finished pep 19 November 2023 , December I did 4th gen test and test results came back negative and yesterday I took rapid test and came back negative. But my nect is itching and I have a flu . What could be the reason
Hi Newman, this does largely impact the known efficacy of PEP. It is not ethical to run trials knowingly risking HIV to people and trialling PEP. For this reason the efficacy of PEP is an estimation based on known data and how it can reduce the number of 138 per 10,000.
The efficacy of PEP is estimated to be around 80%. This means that instead of 138 people having an HIV transmission, PEP would reduce this to 28 people per 10,000 which is still a significant drop in the number of people receiving an HIV diagnosis.
Thank you Josh,
Really helpful. Thank you most importantly for responding because there is no one else I could share most of this with.
I cannot stop wondering about PEP efficacy and I probably think I would have been in a much better place mentally if I knew as little about PEP as possible; however, I saw the CDC note that the probability of catching HIV is 138 per 10,000 exposures for receptive annual intercourse, which is the most risky; do you not think that what we may be considering to be the efficacy of PEP is not efficacy at all but is actually merely cases of people that never got HIV in the first place from their exposure?
Hi Newman, it is good that your doctors suggest you not do the PCR test. As you had been ill, it is possible that a false positive would be present.
E.g., some infections like the flu can cause false PCR positives for HIV tests. This is why antibody testing is required to confirm status.
10 minutes is still considered a short exposure in relation to risk. 10 minutes is minimal in comparison to hours. Even with this time, there is no reason to think PEP has failed.
Hi Josh,
No; she was not on treatment at all. That is exactly what worries me. She must have had a very high viral load and my exposure was really long, about 10 minutes, that possibly made the PEP fail.
I have not gone to see a doctor yet about the symptoms; relatedly however, i took some ibuprofen on the night of February 6. It calmed the aches and headache. Feb 7 was the worst day for the muscle aches. I decided to go get a PCR test so I can see if there is any viral load. Just choosing to go made me feel a bit of relief but the doctors insisted I only do the PCR test between 4 and 6 weeks or wait for six weeks for an antibody test. The muscle aches have since stopped but the mild headaches, sensitivity in the neck continue and for three nights now I have had night sweats.
I will wait and test at 6 weeks. But I am really worried the PEP did not work.
Thank you for your time, for responding.
Hi Newman, I am sorry to hear how unwell you have been feeling. Have you been to speak to a doctor about your current symptoms?
Yes Acriptega is as effective as Biktarvy for PEP. In most cases Acriptega is recommended first line due to how effective and accessible it is with few side effects.
These symptoms are not suggestive of HIV. As you have taken PEP it makes transmission very unlikely. Do you know if your partner had been on treatment and/or what their viral load is?
For more information about PEP please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Hey guys,
Thank you for your wonderful service here. May you never tire of providing usueful guidance to dustraught souls like us.
I had the most foolish exposure a month and a half a go. Unprotected sex. Exposure last about 10 minutes and confirmed her hiv results after. I started PEP less than two hours after exposure. Everything was fine…side effects were mild. Then, seven days after PEP, mild intermittent headache started coupled with discomfort in the groin, neck and armpits. At 14 days, the headaches became more frequent but remained mild. It is now 17 days after the PEP and I now have muscle aches in shoulders, upper back and chest, on top of the headaches.
Is this not how PEP failure works? I took acriptega for PEP; is it as effective as biktarvy? I was initially confident that two hours PEP was early but maybe I was wrong.
This is really a sad situation. Thank you for reading this. Your reading is helpful more than you could know.
Hi Mike, symptoms of seroconversion are vague and very non-specific. The symptoms often present like a cold or the flu which is very common, if you experience symptoms of seroconversion at all.
The symptoms you have mentioned fit into this by way of being very common, however as you have been on PEP it makes your likelihood that they are caused by HIV low. As mentioned it would be more likely that you have had a recent flu/covid infection.
You can test from 6 weeks after the last dose of PEP if you are able to access a 4th generation antigen/antibody (combo) test. If not and you can only use an antibody test, you are required to wait the 3 months.
More information about testing and transmission can be found here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Hey Josh! My name is Mike. How long does seroconversion take? I think I seroconverted 2 weeks after pep. Your statements says that when pep fails then one can either have fever or rash. Yes, I developed some rashes. I have also been having muscle and joint pains for the last 2 months. The rashes keeps disappearing and reappearing. I always feel sick. I visited the clinic and was told to wait for a total of 3 months, but I have already developed every single signs of the virus. I finished pep and never got an issue taking them.
Please help me on this.