[AUDIO] Magnetic Love and Making Healthy Babies - Carolina's story

This interview was conducted in Spanish. The Spanish transcription follows the English translation below. Click here for the audio link (in Spanish) and have a listen.

Folks interested in more English/Spanish PrEP and PrEPception information are invited to visit the PRO Men page of the BAPAC website.


Dr. Pollock: Hi, my name is Dr. Lealah Pollock.  I am a family medicine physician in the Family Health Center at San Francisco General Hospital.  Today, September 10th, 2014 we are at BAPAC’s offices at the San Francisco General Hospital with Carolina and her baby to talk about her experience using PrEP as part of her comprehensive care. At the San Francisco General Hospital we offer PrEP as part of primary care, comprehensive sexual health care.  So, hello Carolina.  How are you?

Carolina:  Very well Dr. Pollock.

Dr. Pollock: So, to commence. How did you get in touch with the Family Health Center and with BAPAC?

Carolina: I was receiving care at the Castro Mission clinic and asked my physician that I wanted to have a baby.  They gave me information about BAPAC and the San Francisco General Hospital. That is how I came here to the hospital to request information.  Well, they call me to give me information about PrEP and referred me to the Blue Team (primary care clinic) at the San Francisco General Hospital and I met the staff that helped me, especially you Dr. Pollock, they gave me guidance and more information on how to get pregnant from an HIV positive person.

Dr. Pollock: Very well.  And when you told your doctor. Was it the first time that you and your husband asked about getting pregnant?

Carolina:  No.  I had already asked my doctor at the clinic I used to go to, but they always told me that getting pregnant was impossible. It was here where I found the right answer.  You helped me to have that answer.

Dr. Pollock: Had you looked for information before that?

Carolina:  Yes.  I looked for a lot of information and it was always impossible.  They told me that the only way to get pregnant was insemination and that they had to “clean” my husband’s semen.  But we did not want that.  We wanted to get pregnant in a natural way.  It was impossible.  Thanks God that I was given the information here and here you have the results. 

Dr. Pollock: Good! How did you decide to take PrEP? I remember the first time I met you; your husband’s viral load was still detectable.  He did not have an undetectable viral load, and we took some time to talk about PrEP as a possibility.  So. Why did you in the end decide to take PrEP

Carolina:  I decided to take PrEP because the physicians in this hospital helped my husband’s viral load to become undetectable, so I felt more comfortable.  Unfortunately, there are not many women that have the possibility to have all of the information about PrEP, but I feel that in this hospital you have the best physicians that provide the necessary information and that is why I made the decision and thanks God all worked out well. 

Dr. Pollock: And thank you, but you were the one that had the strength of asking for information and make the decision of taking PrEP, and having a baby.  And the baby is so beautiful…

Carolina: …healthy…

Dr. Pollock: Did you have any adverse events taking Truvada or PrEP?

Carolina:  No, I did not have any adverse event.  I think that women should use it as a method.  We never know, many people do not want to ask, and yes, you can get pregnant and it is safe.  I did not have anything and I am very happy and prepared to have another baby.

Dr. Pollock: Good, in the future.  How was the experience with your husband and in your world that knew you were taking PrEP?

Carolina:  Well, personally, my life is my life and I make my own decisions and nobody in my family except my husband’s mother, father and few brothers know that he has this disease.  It is unnecessary that all of your family know about it if you do not want to.  You can make your own decisions, who you share it with.  And here, you know that this information is confidential.

Dr. Pollock: True.  Did your husband support you to take PrEP?

Carolina:  Yes, he supported me since both of us wanted to have a baby.  We dreamed with having a baby…and there she is!

Dr. Pollock: Do you have any piece of advice for other women that are planning on taking PrEP or having a baby with an HIV positive partner?

Carolina:  Yes, as far as they have health providers that are knowledgeable about it and that can provide them with the necessary information.  My advice is that if you can make your own decisions and find a specialist like the ones I have here at the San Francisco General Hospital.

Dr. Pollock: Very well. Thank you to talk to us today and share your experience.

Carolina:  Thank you for giving me this information and thanks to the General Hospital because we got what we wanted and without your support it might have not been possible to have this baby that we have today, six months old with adequate weight and healthy.

Click to the next page to read this interview in Spanish. Click here to listen to it.

Audio.

Dra. Pollock: Hola, me llamo Dra. Lealah Pollock.  Soy una doctora de medicina familiar en el Centro de Salud Familiar en el Hospital de General de San Francisco.  Estamos aquí el 10 de setiembre 2014 en la oficina de BAPAC en el Hospital General de San Francisco.  Estoy aquí con Carolina y con su bebé para hablar de su experiencia tomando PrEP como parte de su cuidado anticon…, pre-conceptivo, hem, y aqui en el Hospital General de San Francisco ofrecemos PrEP y cuidados de salud reproductiva comprensiva [integral] como parte de cuidados primarios, parte de salud general.  Entonces, hola Carolina ¿cómo estás?

Carolina:  Muy bien, Dra. Pollock. 

Dra. Pollock: Entonces, para empezar ¿cómo te conectaste con el Centro de Salud Familiar y con BAPAC?

Carolina: Yo estaba en tratamiento con mi clínica en Castro Mission y yo le comente a mi doctora que yo pues quería tener un bebé, y ellos me, ah, me dieron información sobre BAPAC en el Hospital General de San Francisco, y fue por eso que yo vine aquí a este hospital a pedir información.  Bueno ellos me llamaron a mi para poder, para, para, para darme la información sobre la PrEP, y, este, fue, cuando ellos me mandaron a Blue Team (cuidados primarios) de San Francisco, general, del Hospital General y fue cuando conocí a este personal que me ayudaron a usted Dra. Pollock, en especial, y este, fueron los que me guiaron y me dieron más información sobre poder yo quedar embarazada  con una persona de HIV positivo.

Dra. Pollock: Muy bien. ¿Y cuando le mencionaste a tu doctora, ahi, fue la primera vez que tú y tu esposo habían preguntado si pudieron quedarse embarazados?

Carolina:  No, yo ya había preguntado en mi clínica anteriormente, pero, pues ellos me decían que era imposible, y fue aquí donde yo encontré, pues, la respuesta correcta, y ustedes fueron los que me ayudaron a tener esa respuesta.

Dra. Pollock: Y, entonces, habías buscado información anterior, anteriormente también.

Carolina:  Sí, yo busqué mucha información y siempre fue imposible, ellos me decían que el único recurso podía ser la inseminación artificial, y que tenían que limpiar el semen de mi esposo, pero, pues, nosotros no lo queríamos así, nosotros queríamos algo, pues, natural y se nos hacía imposible todo, y gracias a Dios, aquí se nos dio suma información y esta el fruto de nosotros aquí.

Dra. Pollock: Muy bien! Y ¿Cómo llegaste a la decisión de tomar PrEP?  Yo me acuerdo que cuando primer vez te conocí, tu esposo no tenia el virus indefectible en la sangre, todavía tenía virus que se pudiera detectar en la sangre, y tomamos un poco tiempo hablando de la posibilidad de PrEP, entonces ¿por qué al final decidiste tomar PrEP?

Carolina:  Porque, ah, bueno, decidimos toma…, decidí yo pues, tomar PrEP porque aquí en este hospital le ayudaron al él a que su virus fuera indefectible, primeramente y yo me sentí más segura, y, este lamentablemente, hay mucha mujeres que no corren con la posibilidad de tener toda la información adecuada sobre la PrEP, pero, aquí están, yo siento que aquí en este hospital están los mejores doctores y que te pueden dar la información necesaria y es por eso que yo tomé ese procedimiento y gracias a Dios todo funcionó. 

Dra. Pollock: Y gracias a ti, pero tú fuiste quien tuvo la fortaleza de pedir información y de tomar la decisión para tomar PrEP y para tener a un bebé, y un bebe tan linda…

Carolina: …saludable…

Dra. Pollock: Y ¿tuviste efectos secundarios de la Truvada, de la PrEP?

Carolina:  No! No tuve ningún efecto secundario y yo, se los aseguro, y creo que hay muchas mujeres que lo deberían de usar como un método, pues nunca sabemos, muchas personas no queremos preguntar y sí, se puede, se puede quedar embarazado y no pasa nada.  A mi no me pasó nada y estoy sumamente contenta y estoy preparada para poder tener otro bebé

Dra. Pollock: Qué bien! en el futuro.  Y ¿cómo fue tu experiencia con tu esposo y alguien más en tu mundo, que supo que estabas tomando la PrEP?

Carolina:  No.  Pues, cada quien sabe, bueno, yo en lo personal, pues mi vida es mi vida y yo tomo mis propias decisiones, y pues nadie de mi familia, pues, solamente su mamá, su papá y unos hermanos saben que él tiene, este, esa enfermedad. No es necesario que lo sepa toda su familia si tu quieres, lo puede saber, sino, pues, tú, tú puedes tus propias decisiones, a quiénes decirles y aquí sabes que la información es confidencial

Dra. Pollock: Verdad, y ¿tu esposo te apoyó en tomar la PrEP?

Carolina:  Sí, él me apoyó, pues los dos queríamos un bebé, siempre soñábamos con tener un bebé…y allí está!

Dra. Pollock: Y ¿tienes algunos consejos para otras mujeres que están considerando tomar la PrEP o están considerando tener a un bebé con una pareja con VIH?

Carolina:  Sí, siempre y cuando tengan los proveedores específicos sobre lo que, el caso que ustedes tengan y de lo que estamos hablando, mientras ellos tengan unos proveedores que les puedan dar la información necesaria y adecuada, yo mi  consejo es que sí se puede y pueden tomar sus propias decisiones y averiguar con especialistas como los que yo tengo aquí en San Francisco en el Hospital General.

Dra. Pollock: Muy bien.  Bueno, gracias Carolina por hablar con nosotros hoy y por tener, y por compartir su experiencia con nosotros.

Carolina:  Gracias a ustedes por proveerme esta información y gracias al Hospital General porque se logró lo que queríamos, y sin ustedes, quizás no hubiera sido posible tener este bebé que tenemos ahora con seis meses y con su peso adecuado, y saludable.

Audio.
 

[VIDEO] Voices of Choice - Brad from San Francisco on Being in the iPrEx Open Label PrEP Trial

"I fell in love with someone who is HIV-positive..."

In the video below, Brad from San Francisco discusses his participation in the iPrEx Open Label Study and taking Truvada as a way to prevent HIV infection.

The iPrEx trial was the first study to show that an antiretroviral drug (ARV) - normally used to treat people living with HIV - could also be used to prevent HIV among people who are HIV-negative.

In July of 2012, the FDA approved the ARV drug Truvada for the prevention of HIV.

 

 

PrEP Study NOW Recruiting in LA, Long Beach

Research Study Information (in Spanish below)

Are you a man interested in taking medication that could reduce your risk of getting HIV (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, otherwise known as PrEP)?

Are you HIV-negative or know of someone who is HIV-negative?

Are you sexually active with men?

Are you at ongoing risk for acquiring HIV?

If so, you may qualify for a PrEP study at LABioMed at Harbor-UCLA and the Long Beach Health Department that is looking to see if text messaging reminders can improve taking the study medication according to schedule.

If you are interested in participating in this study, contact Angela at (310) 222-3848

-------------

Estudio de Investigación

Es usted un Hombre interesado en tomar medicina que le reduzca el riesgo de adquirir VIH (Profilaxis para evitar infección de VIH, también llamado PrEP)?

Es usted VIH-negativo o conoce a alguien que es VIH-negativo?

Es usted sexualmente activo con hombres?

Esta usted en constante riesgo de adquirir VIH?

En este caso, usted podría calificar para un estudio de PrEP que se lleva a cabo en LABioMed/Harbor-UCLA y el Departamento de Salud de Long Beach. El estudio esta evaluando si los mensajes de texto ayudan a mejorar la constancia a tomar medicinas durante el estudio.

Si esta interesado en participar, favor de llamar a Ángela al
(310) 222-3848

 

[VIDEO] Alejandro on Using PrEP and His POZ Partner

[Video courtesy of Project Inform]

Alejandro has been with his partner for several years. They're a mixed status couple ... Alejandro is  HIV-negative, and his partner is positive. Here, Alejandro describes some of the things he and his partner thought about when they were deciding whether or not to use PrEP.



Project Inform is a great resource for info on PrEP. Click here.

Learning Lessons and Taking Action to Keep Myself Safe - Jermaine Brooks on PrEP

by Jermaine Brooks, via Positively Aware's recent "Let's Talk about PrEP" issue 

What would life be like if we didn’t make mistakes?

Many of us try to map out our lives in hopes that things will go according to plan. The truth is that no matter how hard we try, there will always be something that catches us by surprise. A surprise is what actually started my journey with PrEP.

It was 2009, I had just started college and was living on my own for the first time. So as not to get too personal, let’s just say that it was a time of “finding myself” and much sexual exploration. Things were going pretty well for me and, for the most part, I would say that I was growing into a responsible young man (especially compared to what some of my peers were doing). But no one is perfect, and occasional slip-ups with condoms led to an “STI scare” that completely changed everything for me.

I share everything with my uncle, Keith Green (well…almost everything). At the time, he was working on a study about PrEP at the county hospital. When I told him about my scare, he suggested that I consider taking part in the study.

"Just weighing the options can teach one how to relate to their body and treat it with respect."

Of course I had many questions about how this actually worked and if I would be in any danger if I did start taking the drug. My uncle told me what he knew about PrEP, all of the benefits and potential challenges, and suggested that I speak with the study nurses for more information. That led to even more questions!

Mildly apprehensive but very intrigued, I decided to enroll in the study and to continue to educate myself about PrEP in the process. When I first started, they were still testing the drug and some people were actually placed on a placebo. But I knew from the very beginning that I was actually receiving the real thing.

 Read the rest here.

[Chicago October 17] Raw Sex Just Got Safer?

The PrEP Experience Talk Show and Mini Ball 

Join hosts Prince Magneto Ebony and Father Memphis Khan, and expert guests, to talk about the pill that can actually prevent HIV (called PrEP). Ball categories (with cash prizes) include OTA Realness and OTA Performance.

Light refreshments and appetizers. And YOU.

Brought to you by National Youth Pride Services, Care2Prevent, and Project RSP!

CLICK  for more info and to RSVP.

WATCH: Famous Chicago vlogger Ken Like Barbie explains PrEP in this short video.

[VIDEO] Voices of Choice - Amir from San Francisco on Being in the iPrEx Open Label PrEP Trial

"It's good, but it's tedious..."

In the video below, Amir from San Francisco discusses his participation in the iPrEx Open Label Study and taking Truvada as a way to prevent HIV infection.

The iPrEx trial was the first study to show that an antiretroviral drug (ARV) - normally used to treat people living with HIV - could also be used to prevent HIV among people who are HIV-negative.

In July of 2012, the FDA approved the ARV drug Truvada for the prevention of HIV.

 

VIDEO: SF Gay-mer Jeremy on why he's on PrEP

I don't think being on PrEP means I'm going to go out and fuck every single person in the world.... Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I don't know.

via Jeremy, San Francisco
[who sent us this lovely post and video a few weeks ago - thanks for sharing Jeremy!]

I posted this to a Facebook page dedicated to PrEP facts and experiences and thought I would share with your blog.

After journeying through ill-spoken insurance verbiage to get on PrEP (and after doing extensive research) I was finally able to cut through all of the wrong information to find out that PrEP would be covered and would not be as expensive as I was originally told.

 I live in San Francisco but am originally from a small town in the Central Valley and when trying to discuss PrEP with folks there (in particular a cousin in a mixed status relationship) I have found it to be daunting and almost fruitless. I came to the realization that the folks I was discussing it with were, in essence, afraid of information and facts; throw too many numbers their way and they begin to get intimidated.

Admittedly, conversations about HIV and sexual wellness here in the city are far easier to have. So I thought I would document my PrEP journey as an every-man (which I am) during milestones.

Today I hit my 7th day on PrEP which for most is the day where Truvada is working at maximum efficacy.

So here's my video! -=O)

Truvada can prevent HIV. So why are so few gay men taking it? - via OUT

by Tim Murphy, for OUT Magazine

The gay 40-something well-known New York City doctor with many gay patients — let’s call him Dr. John — can barely talk freely about what he’s doing. “It’s telling, how reluctant I am to talk about this, even anonymously,” he says. “This isn’t being talked about in our community at all.”

The subject causing such anxiety for Dr. John is an oval blue pill called Truvada. He takes it once a day — not to treat HIV, but to keep him from getting it. It’s even covered by his insurance, thanks to a decision by the FDA last year to approve it as a prophylactic against HIV. That approval followed a groundbreaking study in 2010, called iPrEx, that found that HIV-negative gay men who faithfully adhered to a one-a-day regimen of Truvada reduced their risk of getting HIV by more than 99%.

Those findings, which HIV specialists had been keenly awaiting for several years, were enough to make Dr. John talk to his own doctor and start the regimen himself. “I don’t want to become HIV-positive,” he says. “But I don’t love using condoms.” Sexually active with multiple partners, Dr. John admits he avoided condoms about 20% of the time. He was tired of stressing constantly over whether he’d gotten HIV. “Even if my sex was relatively safe, I would have long periods where I’d be freaked out that something had happened.”

Since he started taking daily Truvada, or PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), as the regimen is called, Dr. John has remained HIV-negative and has experienced no side effects from the drug. “My sex life has been much less anxiety-provoking,” he says. “Now if I don’t use a condom, I feel like there’s a safety net.”

So why isn’t he shouting about PrEP from the rooftops? Partly, he says, because he doesn’t want people to think that because he’s a doctor, he’s endorsing PrEP for everyone: “There’s a difference between giving medical advice and making individual choices.”

But his reluctance is deeper than that. He also doesn’t want to be judged for eschewing condoms from time to time. “Gay men talking about not using condoms is really stigmatized,” he says. “Most of us have never known sex without condoms or without threat of a ‘deadly disease.’ ” But he adds passionately, “I think it’s a lot to ask an entire generation of gay men to use condoms forever.”

Read the rest.



RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG GAY MEN IN THE U.S.

Are you a young gay man living in the United States between the ages of 15 and 17? Are you interested in new methods of preventing HIV, like PrEP?

Project PrEPare is an innovative HIV prevention study designed to explore the safety, acceptability and feasibility of PrEP among young gay men and other men who have sex with men who are at risk for HIV infection in the United States.

The study is taking place at clinical sites across the U.S. in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston and Denver. Click here to quickly check if you are eligible to participate.

More information about the study and city-specific contact information can be found on the Project PrEPare website.

[VIDEO] Figuring out how PrEP fits into your life

[Video courtesy of Project Inform]

Jonathan recently broke up from a long-term monogamous relationship. He's been a little depressed but he's also chatting online and dating quite a bit. Condoms aren't always used.

Listen to Jonathan talk about how PrEP has helped ease his mind as he's working through this new stage in his life. And hear from other advocates/experts about the use of PrEP.



Project Inform is a great resource for info on PrEP. Click here.

[VIDEO] Voices of Choice - Lucio from Rio de Janeiro Discusses Being in the iPrEx Open Label PrEP Trial

In the video below, Lucio from Rio discusses his participation in the iPrEx Open Label Study and taking Truvada as a way to prevent HIV infection.

The iPrEx trial was the first study to show that an antiretroviral drug (ARV) - normally used to treat people living with HIV - could also be used to prevent HIV among people who are HIV-negative.

In July of 2012, the FDA approved the ARV drug Truvada for the prevention of HIV.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG GAY MEN IN THE U.S. 

Are you a young gay man living in the United States between the ages of 15 and 17? Are you interested in new methods of preventing HIV, like PrEP?

Project PrEPare is an innovative HIV prevention study designed to explore the safety, acceptability and feasibility of PrEP among young  gay men and other men who have sex with men who are at risk for HIV infection in the United States.

The study is taking place at clinical sites across the U.S. in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston and Denver. Click here to quickly check if you are eligible to participate.

More information about the study and city-specific contact information can be found on the Project PrEPare website.

Recruiting Young Gay Men in 6 U.S. Cities for Important PrEP Study

Condoms are not the only way you can have safer sex! Are you a young gay man between the ages of 15 and 17? Interested in new methods of preventing HIV, like PrEP?

Project PrEPare is an innovative HIV prevention study designed to explore the safety, acceptability and feasibility of PrEP among young gay men and other men who have sex with men who are at risk for HIV infection in the United States.

The study is taking place at clinical sites across the U.S. in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston and Denver. Click here to quickly check if you are eligible to participate.

“Considering that young men who have sex with men continue to be disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic in the United States, we are excited to gather youth-specific data on PrEP - the newest addition to the ‘toolbox’ of HIV prevention interventions,” said Dr Sybil. Hosek.

More information about the study and city-specific contact information can be found on the Project PrEPare website.

Bill's "Pretty Epic" PrEP Experience

So, I heard about this PrEP thing on a few websites, did some research, and thought 'Damn, gurl, this is right for me.'

All kidding aside, I am very troubled by this long and cumbersome multi-step process. It should not be this hard to get PrEP. I am a 43 year-old professional and have the fortitude to push through the red tape.But I can assure you I would not done all of this when I was in my late teens or early twenties.

by Bill
Portland, Oregon

Hello. I've been on PrEP now for 2 months and thought I would share with folks what I had to go through to get my prescription from Kaiser here in Portlandia (Oregon). It was pretty epic.

So, I heard about this PrEP thing on a few websites, did some research, and thought “Damn, gurl, this is right for me.” I went to my primary care doctor which, as fellow Kaiser members know, is S.O.P. for getting anything at Kaiser including a band aid. I don’t know my primary care doc too well (because I am generally healthy and don’t go to the doctor very often), but he seems like a pretty cool guy.

He listened and basically agreed that the medicine was right for me. But when he went to the Kaiser Computer System (aka “Hal”), he was not allowed to prescribe it to me, despite his best efforts. He said Kaiser protocols required that he refer me to an Infectious Disease doctor even though I had no infectious disease. (As an aside, I am somewhat baffled that my primary doc cannot prescribe Truvada, but he is allowed to prescribe powerful opiates and other really fun controlled substances).

Anyway, my primary doc referred me to the Kaiser IDI clinic and that’s when the real fun began. After setting my appointment with an IDI doc (which was 2 weeks out), I received a call from the IDI doc’s assistant telling me I needed to fill out a questionnaire before meeting with the IDI doc. Fine, I said, e-mail it to me.

The questionnaire required me to reveal lots of details about my fairly active sex life. How many times have I had sex in the last year? In the last 2 months? Do I sleep with dudes, ladies, or both? How often do I use condoms when I have sex? Do I do drugs? What do I think of the crisis in the Ukraine? I dutifully completed the questionnaire and sent it off to the IDI people for their consideration and entertainment.

Having jumped through the questionnaire hoop, the next step in My PrEP saga was to meet with the IDI doc. I guess the questionnaire wasn’t enough, so she asked me some more questions. Am I in a relationship? Do I want to be? Do I just meet guys for sex? Where do I meet guys (online, bars, etc.)? Have I ever had any STD? If so, what was it? When was I last tested for HIV? Am I a top or bottom?

If you want to know the answer to the last question send me a private message or find me on Scruff.

The IDI doc told me that I would have to be tested for HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis, and boy cooties. That all made sense. She also said they would test me for something called the CCR5 deletion gene which is that gene mutation that a small percentage of people have that makes them essentially immune from HIV, even if they are really, really, really slutty. I suspect their reasoning is that there would be no reason for me to be on Truvada (which, as the IDI doc pointed out to me several times, is very expensive) if I have some sort of natural HIV immunity. (Turns out I have one copy of the CCR5 gene which means I have “heightened protection against HIV,” but not immunity. That requires two copies of the gene).

Now, after all this, I honestly thought I was going to leave my appointment with the IDI doc with a prescription for PrEP (pending the results of my blood work). Boy, was I wrong.

IDI doc told me that Kaiser policy is to take requests for PrEP to a Committee of IDI docs for a vote. This Committee (which, I have confirmed, is not the same as the Obamacare Death Panels) meets once each month. Their next meeting was two weeks away. My IDI doc said she would advocate that I be on PrEP. I love her.

Interestingly, she also told me that I was only the third person in the entire Kaiser System in Oregon (which is actually pretty large) who had requested PrEP. She also said the other two had been turned down, including a fellow who was in a serodiscordant relationship with an HIV+ partner. After I looked up “serodiscordant” on my iPhone dictionary, I was quite shocked at this. I mean, of all the people who want PrEP, shouldn’t the HIV neg guy who is regularly having sex with a POZ guy be close to the top of the list? But I guess it’s none of my business.

My blood test results came back. HIV neg and no STDs. Yippee! Also, I was informed that the Committee approved my request for PrEP. So the stage was set and I picked up my one-month supply at the Kaiser IDI pharmacy, not that regular Kaiser pharmacy (that would be too easy). When it came time to refill my prescription, I had to have a another appointment with the IDI doc (by phone). Among other things, she asked if I had had any “risky” encounters which I understood to mean condom-less sex. Part of me wanted to say no, because I am on PrEP which makes them not “risky.” But I refrained and gave her the lascivious details she wanted. I then went through another round of blood tests and was approved for a three-month supply.

All kidding aside, I am very troubled by this long and cumbersome multi-step process. It should not be this hard to get PrEP. I am a 43 year-old professional and have the fortitude to push through the red tape. But I can assure you I would not done all of this when I was in my late teens or early twenties. I suspect that is still true of many young men and women today. That is unfortunate because these are the people who need access to this drug the most. As we all have heard, HIV infection rates are increasing among gay men who are 16-25 years-old.

I hope Kaiser changes its process for prescribing PrEP. I understand the need for the preliminary and routine blood work and on-going counseling about the extreme importance of taking it daily. But there is no reason that can’t be done by primary care physicians who often are the ones that know a patient best.

The New Revolution: Bob Grant Talks PrEP in Special Issue of Positively Aware

by Robert Grant, MD, MPH (via Positively Aware's recent "Let's Talk about PrEP" issue)  

"PrEP is a proven concept. A single tablet that contains two medications originally approved to treat HIV/AIDS, tenofovir and emtricitabine (brand name “Truvada” in the United States), was approved to prevent sexual transmission of HIV by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2012. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued guidelines for the use of PrEP. The medication is already available in generic form to people living in the poorest countries of the world."

 

Antiretroviral therapy has revolutionized care for people living with HIV/AIDS by prolonging life and restoring health, preventing transmission to uninfected partners, and preventing tuberculosis disease. These same medications can be taken by HIV-negative people with the goal of staying free of HIV. The combination of highly active antiretroviral interventions for both HIV prevention and treatment has led to unprecedented optimism about the prospect of ending AIDS.

The preventive use of anti-HIV medicines by HIV-negative people is called post-exposure prophylaxis (or PEP) if the medicines are started after sex or a needle stick that could lead to HIV transmission. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is when medicines are used before and after possible exposures to HIV infection.

Read the rest here.

[VIDEO] Voices of Choice - Garland from Chicago Talks About Being in the iPrEx Open Label PrEP Trial

In the video below, Garland from Chicago discusses his participation in the iPrEx Open Label Study and taking Truvada as a way to prevent HIV infection. The iPrEx trial was the first study to show that an antiretroviral drug (ARV) - normally used to treat people living with HIV - could also be used to prevent HIV among people who are HIV-negative.

In July of 2012, the FDA approved the ARV drug Truvada for the prevention of HIV.

Thanks to the iPrEx team, My PrEP Experience will be sharing a number of videos from iPrEx study participants over the coming days and weeks. Check back often, or like our partner Project RSP! on FB and follow along with all the new videos that way.

If YOU are taking Truvada as PrEP, we'd love to hear your story. You can share your experience in a video, or you can write something up. Whatever you want to do - we want to hear your experience - whether taking Truvada as PrEP was a good experience or a bad experience - or anywhere in between. Email myprepexperience@gmail.com and let us know!