Question
I have started PEP and want to know if I will be okay?
28 November 2010. Related: PEP/PEPSE, Side effects.
I had sex with a transexual man. I was on top and without me realizing the condom had ruptured, I washed myself and went home. But I did not feel comfortable. So I sent a text asking the man I had just had sex with if he was HIV positive, to which he answered, yes. I freaked out and went inmediately to the internet and did some research. I read about PEP, so the next morning I went to the clinic and I was placed on – Truvada 200 mg, Norvir 100 mg and Reyataz 300 mg. This was 36 hours after the incident.
I have had no side effects. But for the last two days, I have felt as if I have some fever. I tested my temperature and it is within the normal parameters of 98.2 and 98.7. Please tell me do I have a shot to be well? The person I had sex with told me that his viral count is below 40. Please help.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
I am sorry to know that you are distressed. What is important is that you have taken the right steps to giving yourself a chance of remaining  uninfected. PEP is effective the earlier that you take it and should be taken within 72 hours of being exposed to HIV. You started PEP within that time frame.
Additionally, as the person who you had sex with is on treatment with an undetectable viral load, then your chances of an HIV infection are much more reduced than if that person was not on treatment.
If you take the PEP as prescribed this will reduce the small chance that you were exposed to HIV.
Symptoms do not occur this soon after an exposure.
Good luck.
I was given PEP for 30 days is it a must to tame them all…and if i dont take all of them can it affect me?
Hi Yadu, for information about transmission please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
I did have unprotected sex with commercial sex worker .at that time we both was hiv negative but i dont know her 3 months status .after one day she did have unprotected sex with another man and she don’t know his state .with out telling me we did have sex after 3 hours after she had sex with the man .and the worst part is she did not wash her vigana after she had sex with the man .if the man had sex can I enffected
Hi Tinashe, I am sorry about how this exposure occurred.
This patient having prostate cancer will have no bearing on their HIV status. As it was unknown it remains much more likely that they were HIV negative.
The only way to confirm if PEP has worked is by doing a test. The earliest you can confirm your result is 6 weeks after the last dose of PEP using a 4th generation test.
PEP: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Hey.. My name is Tinashe I’m a student nurse nd while I was walking at the hospital with My colleagues One of them pricked me with a used needle, the patient was suffering from prostate cancer and unfortunately he died, they didn’t check if the patient was HIV positive we didn’t know where the file went,so after bn pricked I was tested for HIV nd it was negative nd the same day I started Pep approximately 4hours late for 28days nd I remember one Day I had alcohol while on med nd vomited ..now I’m done..I have not yet gone for testing as I I’m waiting for 3weeks….now My question is can I be safe CZ I’m Dead scared knowing that the patient had prostate cancer , how do I know Pep worked?
Hi Jonty, symptoms so soon after an exposure are not related to HIV. Seroconversion occurs in the the first few weeks rather than days. In this case as you are also on PEP, these symptoms would be delayed and are not suggestive of PEP failure.
For more information about PEP: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/pep-faq
Hello,my name is Jonty, I had sex with a commercial sex worker. Everything is fine until the last 30 seconds we changed the position to doggy style and it was penis vaginal penetration only and my condom broke. After I climaxed and removed the penis I realised that the condom tore apart. I started PEP at the 40th hour. Now on 3rd day after exposure feeling some fever and sore throat. I am safe, please let me know.
Hi Katherine, what you have described is not a risk for HIV transmission. More so any signs and symptoms would not be expected as soon as 4 days after an exposure. The sore throat you have mentioned and the flu has not been caused by HIV.
Being on PEP only protects against HIV. You can still get a sore throat/flu like normal. These are common and when stressed are more likely to occur. AS you are feeling low it can make you more vulnerable to common infections like a cold. These symptoms are nothing to worry about.
Testing and transmission: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
I felt a rub of his penis around my vagina there was no penetration since we had no mutual understanding but in process of the struggle I felt his fingers inside of me and I was so calm not to seek for medication but after 66hrs I decided to visit the doctor and I was recommended to have pep. It’s my forth day on pep and today I woke up with sore throats and a little bit of flu
Am I safe please coz am a little bit depressed
Hi Mike, for information about transmission please see here: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing