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.
Hi Innocent,
Are you asking how to take your PEP at the best time each day for you?
If the second dose is more convenient after 10 hours, that’s fine. You can then follow on, and aim for the same time. But you can give yourself a time slot of about an hour either side of that.
Hi I am innocent…
I also had sex with someone I’m not sure her status. We met in a bar where she works as a waitress.
However, the next like 6hours reported to the clinic and requested to be put on PEP perhaps my results is negative… So what I would like to know is can I take even 10hrs after the previous dose or I’ll have to follow the exact time I took the first one?
Hi Princess,
Some people get side effects in the first few days or the week of taking PEP. But this is usually mild. The aim of PEP is to stop you becoming HIV positive.
I’m not sure about your comment. However, it doesn’t make a difference if the person you had sex with is HIV negative.
Hi there, I am currently on PEP, condom burst and i rushed to clinic to get assistance, I am not sure about HIV status of the person i was with. I wanted to find out that will PEP medication make me sick if i was not exposed to the virus like the person was HIV negative. How long will the side effect last?
please help
Hi Daniel,
Please see this Q&A about is PEP effective after 24 hours. So you’re doing what you can.
How is your partner? Has she started HIV treatment?
Daniel
Good day,I had sex with woman who is HIV positive and not on treatment.After the sex i asked her if we could test and she agreed.She ddnt know that she was positve bcoz she was scared that i would infect her.I took PEP within 48 hours but i am so scared.
Hi Ndihokubwayo,
I’m not sure what meds are in TDC. But it’s not recommended to have condomless sex when taking PEP because you don’t know your HIV status. Please see this Q&A for the difference between PEP and PrEP.
Please see this link to all the FAQs for HIV risks and HIV testing.
hi I myself dad sex with a woman five times without condom as she confessed to me that she was HIV negative and that she has never been on ARVs unfortunately after a day she accepted to test and she was HIV positive. I was taking one pill a day of TDC as pep and then I am also taking it
but as she was not surprised by her status I suspect that she knew her status and she may have been taking ARVs because she was looking healthy. I tested after 10days I was negative but I am having pains in my stomach and throat hurts what are my chances of getting hiv
Hi Kagiso,
PEP needs to be taken as soon after exposure as possible. Most guidelines have a cut off for PEP of 48 hours after exposure. So 16 hours is within this time.
Please see more info here.
I had sex with positive partner n condom bust immediately I stop n put another 1 after 16 hours I went to a doctor and put me on pep can i have a chance not to be positive