Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is PEP?Before TreatmentHow PEP Is PrescribedEffectiveness
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is PEP?
Before Treatment
How PEP Is Prescribed
Effectiveness
If you think that you’ve been accidentally exposed toHIV, either through sex or otherhigh-risk modes of transmission, there are medications you can take—called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)—that can significantly reduce your risk of infection if started in a timely manner.
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Examples of high-risk exposure include:
How Is HIV Transmitted?
PEP consists of a 28-day course ofantiretroviral drugsthat must be taken completely and without interruption. In order to minimize the risk of infection, PEP must be started as soon as possible—ideally within one to 36 hours of exposure.
PEP is also prescribed to healthcare workers who have had occupational exposure to HIV, such as through contact with infected blood or aneedle-stick injury.
If you think you have been exposed to HIV,do not wait.Go immediately to your nearest emergency room or walk-in clinic. Do not wait until the morning to call your healthcare provider.
How Long Can HIV Live Outside of the Body?
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On the other hand, PEP may not be viable if you have waited too long to seek treatment.
If it is determined that you are at substantial risk of infection, you will be given arapid HIV testto determine whether you areHIV-positive or HIV-negative.
If PEP is authorized, you will be advised about how to take the drugs, what side effects may occur, and the importance of treatment adherence.
Additional tests may be ordered to screen forsexually transmitted diseasesorhepatitis Bif needed.Emergency contraceptionmay also be prescribed in cases of rape or sexual assault.
PEP isnot recommendedif you delay for more than 72 hours from the time of the exposure. This does not mean you will get HIV—only that the potential benefits of PEP will have been lost.
What to Expect With an HIV Test
In the past, PEP consisted of either one, two, or three antiretroviral drugs based on the severity of the exposure. Part of the reason for this was that earlier drugs were more toxic and often caused intolerable side effects. Newer-generationantiretroviralsused for PEP are far more tolerable and tend to cause few, if any, side effects.
PEP can be used for both adults and adolescents. The CDC recommends several options, two of which are preferred and an alternate if the preferred drugs aren’t available.
A follow-up HIV test would then be scheduled, usually within four to six weeks of the completion of PEP. If the test is negative, you will be counseled on how toreduce your risk of HIVmoving forward.
Once started, you need to complete the entire 28-day course of treatment. If you experience intolerable side effects, call your healthcare provider or clinic immediately; other drugs may be used instead. Whatever you do, don’t stop or miss doses.
Effectiveness of PEP
The effectiveness of PEP has typically been evaluated in healthcare settings, mainly because risk assessment, treatment, and post-treatment protocols are standardized and the results are more easily tracked.
In non-occupational settings, this is not the case. Not only do the routes of exposure vary, but it is often difficult to assess whether treatment was adhered to, whether the details of the incident were accurate, or whether PEP was even necessary.
Based on the current body of evidence, it can be presumed that PEP can significantly reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex or injecting drug use if started early and taken to completion.
A Word From Verywell
PEP is not a morning-after pill. If you are at high risk of getting HIV, speak with your healthcare provider about a preventive strategy known aspre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Treatment is available as a daily pill (Truvada or Descovy) or as an injection (Apretude) administered every two months. Both options can greatly reduce your risk of getting HIV.
Can I Stop Using Condoms If I Am on PrEP?
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.Cardo D, Culver D, Ciesielski C, et al.A case-control study of HIV seroconversion in health care workers after percutaneous exposure.New Eng J Med. 1997;337:1485-1490. doi:10.1056/NEJM199711203372101Beymer MR, Weiss RE, Bolan RK.Differentiating nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis seroconverters and non-seroconverters in a community-based clinic in Los Angeles, California.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017 Spring;4(2):ofx061. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx061Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first injectable treatment for HIV pre-exposure prevention.McCormack S, Dunn DT, Desai M, et al.Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection (PROUD): Effectiveness results from the pilot phase of a pragmatic open-label randomised trial.Lancet. 2016;387(10013):53-60. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00056-2
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.Cardo D, Culver D, Ciesielski C, et al.A case-control study of HIV seroconversion in health care workers after percutaneous exposure.New Eng J Med. 1997;337:1485-1490. doi:10.1056/NEJM199711203372101Beymer MR, Weiss RE, Bolan RK.Differentiating nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis seroconverters and non-seroconverters in a community-based clinic in Los Angeles, California.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017 Spring;4(2):ofx061. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx061Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first injectable treatment for HIV pre-exposure prevention.McCormack S, Dunn DT, Desai M, et al.Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection (PROUD): Effectiveness results from the pilot phase of a pragmatic open-label randomised trial.Lancet. 2016;387(10013):53-60. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00056-2
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.Cardo D, Culver D, Ciesielski C, et al.A case-control study of HIV seroconversion in health care workers after percutaneous exposure.New Eng J Med. 1997;337:1485-1490. doi:10.1056/NEJM199711203372101Beymer MR, Weiss RE, Bolan RK.Differentiating nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis seroconverters and non-seroconverters in a community-based clinic in Los Angeles, California.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017 Spring;4(2):ofx061. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx061Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first injectable treatment for HIV pre-exposure prevention.McCormack S, Dunn DT, Desai M, et al.Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection (PROUD): Effectiveness results from the pilot phase of a pragmatic open-label randomised trial.Lancet. 2016;387(10013):53-60. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00056-2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Updated guidelines for antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug use, or other nonoccupational exposure to HIV—United States, 2016.
Cardo D, Culver D, Ciesielski C, et al.A case-control study of HIV seroconversion in health care workers after percutaneous exposure.New Eng J Med. 1997;337:1485-1490. doi:10.1056/NEJM199711203372101
Beymer MR, Weiss RE, Bolan RK.Differentiating nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis seroconverters and non-seroconverters in a community-based clinic in Los Angeles, California.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017 Spring;4(2):ofx061. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx061
Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves first injectable treatment for HIV pre-exposure prevention.
McCormack S, Dunn DT, Desai M, et al.Pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the acquisition of HIV-1 infection (PROUD): Effectiveness results from the pilot phase of a pragmatic open-label randomised trial.Lancet. 2016;387(10013):53-60. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00056-2
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