Q and A

Question

Using Stribild as PEP…

10 February 2023. Related: All topics, PEP/PEPSE, Side effects.

Is only taking Stribild enough for a good PEP treatment?

So, I had sex with a female prostitute and the condom came off half the way while I was doing the deed.

Next day (today) I went to an HIV centre and the doctor said I was qualified to take PEP and just gave me Stribild (1x a day for 4 weeks).

Then I called the doctor and politely asked him to give me more effective medications such as Truvada with Tivicay.
But the doctor said that this is good medication for me.

From the information that I could gather on the internet. I concluded that the medication that the doctor prescribed me is a very suboptimal PEP treatment.

And that I should insist my doctor to give me PEP medications such as Truvada with Tivicay / raltegravrir.

Also, I took 1 pill of Stribild today. Would it have bad consequences to switch to Truvada/Tivicay from tomorrow onwards?
I’m from Belgium if that’s relevant.

Am I wrong or what should I do? Thank you for your help!

Answer

Answer: Josh Peasegood

Hi, how are you?

Stribild can work as PEP but it isn’t usually offered. It is effective but it is a boosted combination and can cause more prominent side effects. For this reason it is not routinely offered.

The switch you have suggested would be suitable and switching mid-course would not have an impact on the effectiveness of PEP.

If you are comfortable on Stribild and are not having any significant side effects, it would be okay to continue with the course. There is no other major benefit of switching. If you are unhappy/having side effects, it is reasonable to ask for a different combination.

Please see this link for more information about PEP:
https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq

Josh.

6 comments

  1. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi K, as previously mentioned you should not be worrying about HIV. As this is now going on you should speak with your doctor. i-base are not doctors and cannot provide medical advise.

  2. K •

    Hi again Josh, thank you for your attention.

    I waited and now its 6th day of the rash.
    To be specific;
    Only 1 of the 4 bumps remains the other 3 bumps are almost gone.
    Another 1 new bump had appeared at the same spot and is almost gone.
    Now its never itching.
    Its only the bumps that have reddish color not the skin around.

    Also today, (to be specific) my left tonsillar lymph node is swollen just a little bit and its not visible, the swellness is only noticable when touched. But I had ear infections before and i know that it caused swollen lymph nodes before and It still may be because of my ear so that one is controversial, I suppose.

    As for your question; I’ve never had a skin condition like this before and I guess the only reasonable thing apart from HIV that could’ve caused this are the Stribild PEP medication or the stress that I have (but this didnt happen before other times when i had stress).

    I’d appreciate your insight, Sir.
    Am I to worry about having HIV? Thanks a lot!

  3. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi Kim, this is still not suggestive of HIV. Is the rash still there? and did you notice anything that may have caused it?

  4. Kim •

    Hi Josh,

    I’m still using Stribild.
    And since 3 days ago I have a small skin rash on my forearm, it came with a headache.
    It’s red and only 4 small bumps and its very rarely itching.
    It appeared after I had slept bad for 2 days (5h sleep).
    And 12 days after possible exposure and 11 days afer i started with PEP.

    I’d really appreciate your insight, Sir.
    Because I am stressing that this is a sign of HIV. If it is because of HIV, will PEP still end up working end getting rid of HIV?

    Thank you for your time!

    Kim

  5. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi Kim, it is good that you are doing well on Stribild. Stribild is a combination. It is made up of 4 different drugs. Boosted means that one of the drugs is used to boost another drug to make it work better. You don’t need to take it with anything else.

  6. Kim Schmidt •

    Hi Josh thanks for your response.

    The only side effect is that it makes me tired and a little bit dizzy after i take the pill. I’ll see if i’d have to change the pill because of that.

    Otherwise, I believe this pill will do just fine thanks to your response.
    Except that I noticed you mentioned Stribild is used as a boosted combination and that I’ve been prescribed to solely Stribid (1xday).

    Will it be allright to use Stribild without any combinations?

    Thank you for your time

    Kim