As part of my work on THT Direct, I’m often asked about what to do if someone’s either not used a condom, or it broke, and now they’re worried they might have caught something. Specifically HIV.
Actually, many other STIs are much easier to catch than HIV, but because they’re usually easily cured, HIV’s the one that most people are concerned about.
If you act fast, then you may be able to take a course of medication called PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis), which should prevent you from being infected.
It needs to be taken within 72 hours of the risk event – but the longer you leave it, the less effective it’s thought to be. You can get it from any sexual health clinic – check THT’s clinic finder to find one. All A&E departments in the UK also carry PEP and should be able to provide it to you, though I’ve heard of doctors not knowing that – or pretending they don’t know.
PEP is actually a 30 day course of HIV meds. It’s usually truvada and kaletra, though there are various reasons why you might get something different.
It’s not always a nice experience; for many people, side effects include nausea, diarrhoea or sleep disturbance. These effects might wear off after a while, or may continue for the whole 30 days. For this reason – and the fact that it costs hundreds of pounds – doctors try not to give it unless they think you really need it.
The important thing to be aware of is that it’s always up to the doctor in charge whether to give you anything. If they say no, then there’s not much you can do. They, in their infinite wisdom, don’t think that what happened is likely to have put you at serious risk.
They do have guidelines to follow, though, which have recently changed.
If the doctor decides to give you PEP, they’ll always want to test you for HIV. You might already have it without knowing. They’ll also want to book you in a test after 12 weeks to make sure you’ve definitely not caught it, and maybe again after 6 months. It’s just to be on the safe side.
The most important change in the new guidelines is that now, if you’re a man who fucked someone who knows he’s HIV+ but he’s on meds, and his viral load is undetectable (the majority of people on meds are in this position), then PEP isn’t necessary. That’s because there’s so little virus in their system, they’re unlikely to have infected you.
The new guidelines also say that if you stab yourself with a discarded needle, then, because HIV can’t live outside the human body for very long, you don’t need PEP.
Because it’s an emergency treatment, PEP is always free at the point of use – though if you’re not from the EU, they may want to send you a bill later.
You can find more information about the new guidelines at the excellent NAM site; i-base is a great resource, with both online forums and a free helpline; or if you want to talk to someone, you could always phone THT Direct free on 0808 802 1221.
Hi Elliot,
Oh ok, sorry didn’t stalk you that much so I was not sure 😉
Thanks for the link! However it’s the same that when I tried to get the original document proving that HIV was the cause of AIDS by myself. I get a link to another link to another link to another link but I can never get the original paper referenced.
Also one of the reference cited, Luc Montanier, said himself that you could get rid of AIDS with simple measures of hygiene, good nutrition and the adequate antioxydants : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQoNW7lOnT4
Would you happen to have links to testimonials from HIV positive people saying they felt sick before they were diagnosed?
Thank you,
Anne
Hey,
I saw on Twitter that someone commented on this post saying that HIV/AIDS doesn’t exist.
You might have deleted his/her comment. Anyway, I stopped believing that HIV exists after watching many documentaries on the subject. I understand that people find it shocking, to deny the existence of the virus, and I’m not saying that people shouldn’t wear protection while having sex, there’s a lot of other STD you can catch.
The thing is:
– no one has ever proven that HIV was the probable cause of AIDS
– AIDS is a state. If you do harm to your body by not eating well, taking lots of drugs, or having a terrible hygiene, your immune system is gonna suffer. No wonder most of the AIDS cases are found in Sub Saharan Africa: it’s caused by malnutrition and the lack of hygiene. The first people who suffered with AIDS were homosexuals: at the time, they were partying and taking so many drugs, they themselves admitted they thought their body would not be able to follow. Also a link has been established between the syndrome of kaposi (a said HIV related syndrome) and the excessive consumption of poppers, popular drug in the gay community.
– HIV tests are not supposed to detect the virus, but antibodies, antibodies that are not specific to HIV and could be related to other diseases. People get tested HIV positive and get treated for HIV when they should be treated for other non fatal diseases.
– The inaccuracy of tests is also shown by the fact that the tests have different criteria in every country. You could be tested positive in America and negative in Canada.
– HIV medication can actually kill people, one of the first medication used was AZT (it is still in use now) and it is clearly specified on the label that the medication is toxic (with a little skull and everything). HIV positive people who have stopped taking medication have seen their health improve drastically.
You should watch this documentary (many others available): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x0FXsDD8lg
My opinion is not definitive and I’m open to debate because I’m only interested by the truth. I just hate the feeling that I might have been brainwashed like billions of other.
I’m not a plotting theory fan either, and HIV is the only thing I came to question so far.
So please argue with me!!!