More than one million people in the US live with HIV, which increases their risk of developing additional and severe health complications, including AIDS. Fortunately, when it comes to HIV prevention, along with using condoms, you can now take a daily preventative medication known as PrEP. Matt Pabis, MD, provides the innovative PrEP in East Village at his self-titled family practice to help you decrease your chances of getting HIV in the first place. For more information about the PrEP therapy, call or schedule an appointment online today.
What is PrEP?
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective treatment for people at a higher risk of developing HIV. This virus comprises the immunity of your body, hindering your ability to fight off infections. HIV can also result in getting acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDs). Unlike other viruses, they can never get rid of HIV entirely, even with treatment. PrEP therapy is an option that involves using daily medications to lower your chances of getting infected with HIV in the first place.
Why should you consider PrEP?
As stated earlier, PrEP considerably lowers your possibility of being infected with HIV. If you are at a risk of contracting HIV due to your lifestyle, such as having multiple sexual partners, intravenous drug use, or even rape cases, PrEP will help to lower your risk of getting infected with HIV. Dr. Pabis will discreetly discuss healthcare options, lifestyle habits, and drug use during a consultation. He will also check your medical history to determine if you can tolerate PrEP medications.
What should you expect during PrEP therapy?
PrEP therapy involves taking a daily oral medication. Before starting PrEP, you will need to take an HIV test to ensure you don’t have HIV already. You can take one tablet per day or use the medication as an event-based tool, where you take PrEP before and after planned sex. However, you should consider taking PrEP for seven days before you are protected and then daily as long as you want protection. The PrEP medication has been proven to be safe and causes few side effects. You might experience some nausea when first taking the pills, but this will resolve over time. For the treatment to be most effective, you will need to follow the dosage schedule recommended by Dr. Pabis. You will also require follow-up testing every three months while taking the PrEP medications.
Can you stop using other protection while on Prep?
Even as you take PrEP medications, you must still protect yourself during sexual encounters. Using condoms will help lower your chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and human papillomavirus, which may lead to specific types of cancer. Condoms also offer an added measure of HIV infection protection.
PrEP is an effective way to prevent those who do not have HIV but who are at a very high risk of contracting HIV. For more information about PrEP therapy and find out if it’s the right choice for you, contact Dr. Pabis. Call or schedule an appointment online today.
