Question
Will PEP still work if I am not taking it strictly every 24 hours?
16 May 2022. Related: Adherence, All topics, PEP/PEPSE.
I started my 28-day PEP course 4 days ago after having oral sex with a girl and later noticed that my gum was potentially bleeding while giving the oral sex. The third day of taking PEP I was taking the pill late for 1 hour (taking it at 12:30 vs. my usual time of 11:30). The fourth day I was late for another one hour (taking it at 13:30). Today I took the pill again at 12:30 because I felt like taking it at my usual time of 11:30 would have been too soon since the last dose (13:30). Will PEP still work effectively for me? Thank you so much.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Yes PEP will still work effectively for you.
PEP needs to be taken regularly every 24 hours for it to work. But PEP does remain in the body longer than 24 hours. For this reason there is some leeway for being late or early with a dose by an hour.
Though it is best to avoid this to ensure you are maintaining a suitable level of PEP within the body. Is 11.30 still suitable for you or is it better moving your regular time to 12.30? To help remember it may be suitable to set an alarm each day to prompt you to take PEP.
Josh.
HiAnon, please see this link for info on PEP.
https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
i-Base is about self learning so it is better for you to get your question answered by reading more about PEP than me just giving a yes/no answer.
on my 26th day of taking pep, I missed 6 hours to my next dose, will this affect its effectiveness
Hi David, being 3 minutes late is going to have no impact on your treatment. As long as you are taking PEP within an hour of your regular time you do not need to be worried.
It is impossible to take any medication at the EXACT same time each day. There is some leeway in the time that you can be adherent with your medication.
Hello josh
I am on day 20 of PEP , i was told by my doctor to take pep at the same time everyday but today i took it 3 minutes late, does that increase my risk of getting hiv ? Should i take pep tomorrow at my usual time or at the new time ?
Hi Nicholas, on the days you have had sex did you use a double dose before hand? or were you already daily dosing?
On the first event you had PrEP and sex on the same day, then PrEP the following day and forgot on the third if you had taken it or not.
On the second event you had PrEP and continued daily?
These cases of using PrEP will offer some protection against HIV transmission, though as you had not taken them as recommended there is some risk that it will not work as well as it could though it is going to be better than no PrEP.
Was this is a risky exposure e.g., no condom, long time of having sex, rough sex? All of these factors increase how risky this was. If you are uncomfortable or this was high risk PEP would be advised.
More information about PEP can be found here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
On 1st I took Prep an our Before having sex then the following Day I took prep then the 3rd I forgot if I took prep,then 4th day I took prep 5hours before sex then on the 5th day I took prep then that same day we took an HIV test then the lady was HIV positive…..Now Should I switch to PEP ?? Am still on 5th Day
HI Asher, PEP will still be effective even though you have started a second course. This is not considered a continuous exposure. As you had been on PEP and for the most part you were using condoms, the risk is low.
The second course means seroconversion from the first exposure would be delayed (in the unlikely event that PEP had failed). The earliest you can test will be 6 weeks from the last dose of the second course of PEP. You will need to use a 4th generation antigen/antibody test.
Have you considered PrEP? PrEP is similar to PEP but can be used daily/on-demand BEFORE an exposure. It is more effective at preventing HIV transmission than PEP and uses fewer drugs. In people who are needing regular uses of PEP, PrEP is more commonly recommended.
PrEP: https://i-base.info/guides/prep
Hello Josh,
I started taking 1st course of PEP (TLD) at 28 hours after exposure, anal sex. I got another condomless exposure with same partner on Day 23 and there was small tear and blood during that. I completed the 28-day course and continued extra taking 2 pills.
I got another exposure on Day 31. So, local GP prescribed me 2nd PEP course and I have started taking 2nd course (Viropil) on Day 32. Now, I am at Day 10 of 2nd PEP course. I haven’t experienced any side effects nor fever/cold symptoms yet. During the 1st course, there were late doses about 1-2 hours for two days. To open up that, all these exposures were with same partner of unknown status, we used condoms but we went bare just before ejaculation.
I would like to know;
1) How much will PEP be effective in my case, tear/bleed and continuous exposure ?
2) When should I do HIV testing and how long should I wait to get a conclusive result?
3) Any other advice for me ?
Thank you
Hi Mike, I do not recognise didiriv as a medication. Do you know if it has another name?
For more information about PEP please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Can didiriv alone used as pep?