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 have been taking PEP for a month,
I stopped it about 2 weeks, and within those 2 weeks I had an unprotected sex,
I want to know how long does PEP stays in the system after you stopped it.
Hi Mikstary, the timing doesn’t need to be exact, just roughly the same time. Links from this post have info on risk and testing:
https://i-base.info/qa/11844
Dear life
I am currently on pep and I take it at 8 every morning but I take it like 8.05 every morning ,will this make a difference? And I would like to know if touching a box where I saw a HIV positive test lay in can infect me in any way?
Dear Lifie, this sounds like a shocking and terrible experience. Are you getting other support and counselling to help? It is very good that the early test was negative, but you probably already know that this will need to be repeated again later to be sure.
It is important to also be tested for other sexually transmitted infections too. If these are negative, it is also good news.
PEP needs to be started much earlier to be effective, and it is probably good to take to your doctor about stopping PEP now. There is a risk that it will just make it more difficult to test for HIV and that you have to wait longer before getting accurate results.
There is no benefit from starting PEP after this long.
I was kidnapped and raped for 10 days by multiple men. I tested negative for HIV and I started with pep after 10 day. Will it work or was this too late?
Hi Winnie,
What were you given for PEP?
When you were given the PEP did you let the doctor know that you’re taking IVF treatment?
You say you’ve been exposed to HIV, do you know that this man isn’t taking ARVs and has a detectable viral load?
I got exposed to HIV and started peps within 24hours.
He ejaculated outside my vagina n I wiped it off
Am also on IVF drugs.
Is it safe to use the drugs with peps what is the time frame
The drugs are progesterone injections 2mg, progynova2mg, progesterone vaginal inserts, salbutamol tablets and prednisolone,ascard, apofolic,myo_pcos
Hi James, i-Base dont answer individual questions on risk. Please see this link on PEP which answers your questions.
https://i-base.info/pep-and-prep
Hi, I had my condom bursted and it was after 1 week we discovered the lady is +ve and have been on treatment and it took me 10days before I could access PEP test done a day before I started PEP was negetive -ve and another test repeated after 25days of the sex incident still showed -ve and still taking the PEP. Please I need your insight on this. Thank you in anticipation.
Hi Derick, it is fine to change your PEP to a different time. It will still be just as effective.