Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to Prevent 艾滋病毒 Transmission
- 什么是PrEP?
- 谁应该采取预防措施?
- 我需要多久服用一次PrEP?
- 有什么副作用?
- 我怎样才能拿到PrEP的处方?
- Can I take PrEP if I think I was exposed to 艾滋病毒?
A prevention pill for people who don't have 艾滋病毒 but are at substantial risk of infection is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and available to the public. PrEP – or pre-exposure prophylaxis – is a combination of two drugs currently used to treat people with 艾滋病毒. 如果正确服用(每天), regardless of whether you are consistently sexually active), PrEP helps prevent the 艾滋病毒 virus from taking hold when there is an exposure.
While 艾滋病毒 medications have improved dramatically over the past several decades, 目前还没有治愈这种疾病的方法. Every year some 50,000 people receive an 艾滋病毒 diagnosis in the United States. Gay and bisexual men account for the majority of those new cases.
PrEP, sold under the brand name Truvada, is not a vaccine. 但如果持续服用, it can lower the risk of an 艾滋病毒 infection by as much as 92 percent, compared with the infection rate for people not taking the pill. 然而, because the pill offers less than 100-percent protection, it is important to continue using condoms.
Even though condoms are not 100 percent effective in preventing 艾滋病毒 either, they provide protection against other communicable diseases, 比如淋病, 衣原体和肝炎. PrEP does not protect against those other diseases.
If you are 艾滋病毒 negative but have a substantial risk of being exposed, you should consider it. This would include people who have an 艾滋病毒-positive partner and gay or bisexual men who have had anal sex without a condom or have been diagnosed with an STD in the past six months. 除了, taking PrEP may be beneficial for heterosexual men or women who do not regularly use condoms during sex with partners of unknown 艾滋病毒 status, who are at substantial risk of 艾滋病毒 infection (including those who inject drugs or have bisexual male partners).
Other people who should consider PrEP are those who inject drugs; have shared injection equipment; or have been in treatment for injection drug use in the past six months.
PrEP also is a good option for heterosexual couples, when one partner has 艾滋病毒 and the other does not. 除了, the drug can help protect an uninfected partner during conception and 怀孕.
To be effective, PrEP must be taken daily. Starting and stopping greatly reduces its efficacy, so it is important to take the pill consistently. Once your doctor has prescribed PrEP to you, you will need to have regular follow-up appointments to test your blood for 艾滋病毒 infection and to see how your body is responding to the medication.
Side effects may include upset stomach or loss of appetite, though these symptoms are usually mild and tend to go away in the first month. 你可能还会感到轻微的头痛. Tell your doctor if these or other symptoms become severe or do not go away.
Make an appointment with your doctor and ask whether you are a good candidate for PrEP. You will need some blood work done to test for 艾滋病毒 and other sexually transmitted diseases. You also will need a general physical exam. 大多数保险公司承保PrEP.
Can I take PrEP if I think I was exposed to 艾滋病毒?
No. PrEP is only for people at risk of being exposed to 艾滋病毒. If you think you were exposed to 艾滋病毒 as a result of a high-risk event, 比如避孕套破裂, needle sharing during injection drug use or sexual assault, another medication is available called 接触后预防,或PEP. You must begin this medication within 72 hours of the event, so it is important to call your doctor or seek medical attention immediately.
This information was adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: www.疾病预防控制中心.政府.
其他资源
加州大学旧金山分校的研究 & 临床试验。
加州大学旧金山分校健康 medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.