PrEP Facts: Introduction & FAQ

There are no known interactions between alcohol and PrEP medications. Taking PrEP outside the times you drink, or using an injectable version of PrEP, can help you avoid missing doses.

Recreational drugs are not known to interact with either Truvada PrEP, Descovy PrEP, or Apretude. Truvada and Descovy belong to a class of HIV meds called NRTIs that generally do not interact with drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or MDMA. Apretude is also not expected to interact with recreational or illicit drugs.

Yeztugo may increase levels of fentanyl in the blood by 30% – 40%. Although there was no increased risk of fatal overdose in clinical trials testing lenacapavir, people who use lenacapavir who may use or be exposed to fentanyl should be aware of the increased risk for overdose. Yeztugo is not known to interact with other recreational drugs including cocaine, meth, GHB, or cannabis.

There are no known interactions between PrEP drugs and erectile dysfunction drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis).

Tell your PrEP provider if you use protein or creatine powders for weight training or as nutritional supplement. These can impact the results of blood tests that check your kidney health.

No cases of this kind of transmission have been reported. If your partner is taking PrEP as instructed, they will be highly protected from HIV infection. If your partner remains HIV negative and has sex with someone living with HIV with a detectable viral load, they will not pass on HIV to you.

Some clinicians are not aware of PrEP, may be unwilling to prescribe it, or may not be comfortable discussing sexual health. You may need to find another provider to prescribe PrEP and work with you on your sexual health goals. If your provider is willing to prescribe PrEP but needs guidance about how to support you, they can contact the Clinicians Consultation Center or consult the federal PrEP guidelines.

First, you need to find a clinician who can prescribe it; and second, you’ll need to figure out how to pay the related costs.

The best bet would be to seek a local sexual health clinic that provides PrEP. Find out more info about the walk-in PrEP services offered at Strut, or email prep@sfaf.org for help. A second option would be to contact a telehealth service.

Travel insurance probably won’t cover the costs, although international work insurance or insurance from a US-based employer may. If you don’t have those, you may have to cover the costs out of your own pocket.

It is possible to safely stop using PrEP. Check in with your healthcare provider about why you want to stop, when you want to stop, and how to stop safely. Consider also talking with your healthcare provider about other HIV prevention methods you can use.

Truvada, Descovy, and Yeztugo are considered safe to use while trying to conceive with a partner living with HIV. A supportive clinician can help you understand how to use PrEP before and during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Studies of Truvada in pregnant or breastfeeding women did not see increases in birth defects, growth problems, pre-term birth, or miscarriage. Much less is known about how Descovy and cabotegravir (the medication in Apretude) affects a developing fetus or nursing infant.

PrEP does not have an age restriction, but it does have a weight restriction: PrEP medications can be used by anyone who weighs at least 77 pounds. People as young as 15 have been included in PrEP studies.