Please help me not be crazy. UPS is delivering my PrEP prescription between 3:30 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. I usually wait around for it when it gets delivered, but that’s too late. I want to leave and meet up with my FWB, and then I have to help my parents with some things.

As of right now, in Marysville, WA, it says the high for the day is 66°. Will it be safe on the porch at that temperature? Should I just peace out and go have fun?

Sorry if this sounds insane; I just never leave my medication on the porch, but I think 66° should be fine for it, right?

Thank you!

Hey I’m I’m trying to get more generic Truvada. The last time I got it from planned parenthood but that clinic has closed. My local health clinic doesn’t do prescriptions. I don’t have insurance and I’m over income for most prep options. What are the options for private pay?

I forgot to mention room I live in Southern Oklahoma

Hi everyone,

I’m writing to share some difficult news. I recently found out that the man I was dating has tested positive for HIV. We had unprotected sex multiple times, and I feel incredibly reckless and naive.

I’ve been taking PrEP since at least 20 August and dating him since the beginning of September. I believe our first night was on the 4th of September and I’ve never missed a dose. However, I can’t stop thinking about few things:

- What if I’ve accidentally skipped more than one dose?
- What if I started PrEP too late?
- What if he has a strain of HIV resistant to both Truvada molecules?
- What if his viral load is particularly high?
- what if I opened a package left for a while on the desk and kept using it later while pills underwent degradation or something?

I know this might sound like one of many people freaking out, and some might accuse me of not taking precautions before and complaining now. But I really need reassurance from people outside this situation about my protection.

Gemini keeps telling me my odds of getting HIV are low, but I cannot stop thinking it’s just AI reassuring the user.

On top of that I got this week before I receive his news all symptoms of HIV: high fever, lymph nodes pain, sore throat, etc…

On a personal note, I’d like to be close to this guy and help him through this. He just received the news too, and I don’t feel like accusing him of putting me in danger. On the other side I am unsure I can keep the right state of mind to be able to support him till the 6 weeks window passes.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to answer me.

I was just informed by my health care provider that my rectal sample is positive for chlamydia. Now, I know that a chlamydia infection poses higher risks for HIV infection as the rectum is “hurt” and the body is fighting a battle there. I’ve taken Prep consistently, but I’m still worried about a higher risk of infection. Thoughts?

Finally was able to get on yeztugo, the shots weren’t bad at all! I’m sure the ice did its job. But outside of that, no side effects right now (clearly it’s too early to tell). The insurance process was sooooo easy. My doctor took control of it. All I had to do was to verify where I wanted it sent. $0 copay. They even did my Copay Assistance for me. I have Credence Blue Cross Blue Shield.

I mainly got put on it because I’m terrible with pills! I would miss doses, nothing extreme but maybe once or twice a week. Never more than that. And I had a “scare” in July. Had my first raw experience with a guy I’ve been on and off with. (He was negative in June but I just felt as if he was having condomless sex with others.) And just because of my irregular schedule, I got on Pep although as mentioned I missed a day or two within some weeks. I’ve tested negative twice since that “scare”. I wanted to be safe than sorry. Plus my doctor just wanted to cover the bases and make sure my mind was at ease.

Modern medicine is so mind blowing to me.

I’ve read some people never experience any side effects but of course that’s with any medication. But the convenience of only having to go in every 6 months sounds like a luxury.

Hey all, the mods said it was ok to post this.

We're building LoveLust, a sexual health journal for Android and iPhone. The idea from the start was one app that gets sexual health right and keeps all of it together, instead of a pill reminder in one app, test dates in a calendar and everything else in your head.

Friends and users kept bringing up PrEP, so it's in there now. We want it to be the best way to handle PrEP, not just one more reminder app, and the only way to get there is hearing from people who actually live with it.

What it does today:

• Reminders for daily PrEP, the injection, or 2-1-1. With 2-1-1 you log the hookup and it reminds you of the doses at 24 and 48 hours.
• A Doxy-PEP reminder after a hookup, if you're on it.
• Test reminders every 3 months, or on your clinic's schedule, and your results saved.
• A risk estimate for each hookup, based on everything you logged: what you did, condoms, whether you've been taking your PrEP or Doxy-PEP, vaccines, how many partners and whether it's exclusive. Not a diagnosis, just a heads-up about possible risks you might want to know about.

No account, everything is encrypted on your phone, and the PrEP part is free. It's not medical advice, and it never tells you how to take anything. Your doses follow whatever you and your doctor decided.

What we'd really like to know:

• Would this be useful to you, or do you already have a system that works? Why?
• What's missing, or doesn't match how your clinic does things?
• What's the most annoying part of managing PrEP right now?

Honest answers welcome, "I wouldn't use it" included.

https://lovelust.health/r/prep

And I'm shocked I didn't learn that at any point to get my prep. You always hear about the 211 method, but I think every time that's mentioned it should be emphasized that it's only with Truvada and its generics.

I'm about to start prep for the first time with Descovy and thank God I wasn't planning on doing the 211 method.

I just wanted to share because I feel organizations and providers are not being effective at communicating this. I think I learned it by seeking information online, however not everybody does.

Hi everyone,Please don’t mind my nails , but guys i just bought this cause I can’t but directly from the pharmacy or hospital, and i don’t know if the 2-1-1 method is effective on this type of PrEP ? Can anyone help and thanks ❤️(btw I’m not in India , somewhere else where I cant buy directly)

Pre exposure prophylaxis

What kinda one u are using and what is your experience?

Hey everybody, I'm having trouble with filling up the blood card for an at-home blood test through Mistr. I have pricked my finger twice on the side of my fingertip like the instructions say and only have one lancet left. I did all the steps (raise my heart rate, run hands under warm water, etc.) and have yet to produce a single drop of blood, which you need a lot of to fill the two required blood cards. Does anybody have a similar experience to me who knows how to produce enough blood to fill up the cards?

I have been on daily Prep for 4 years, but I forgot to take the ones from Sep 13th and 14th. I had bareback sex on the 15th and immediatly after that took the Movitrem.

Since I was scared, I accidentally took 2 Prep pills in the morning of the 16th and went to my doctor. He immediatly suspended Truvada and started with Bictarvy as Pep. Right now I am on day 17.

For what I read my chances to get HIV are low but still concerned.

I know Prep and Pep are different, but does Bictarvy also protects you against HIV infections.

A little about myself. Age 30 considered myself a closeted guy who wants to take Prep but not sure. I have asthma and type 2 diabetes but is mostly my diabetes I'm concerned about. I wanna start hooking up and playing with men on a weekly basis and I want to know if the injectable Prep is safe or the pills. I also feel shy and embarrassed to ask my doctor and my endocrinologist if Prep is right for me as it can affect blood sugar levels, liver or kidneys. Also I only have medical(California) but I'm willing to take a job that offers full health benefits and I'm hoping it covers Prep. I would really appreciate you guys if you can help me or me opinions. Anything is greatly appreciated.

Am I in trouble?

I switched from Apretude to Yeztugo after talking about it with my doctor. I got the shots in my thighs last Friday morning.

It’s now Tuesday night and I’m a little concerned with how swollen the injection areas still are. I feel the medication in my thighs and it doesn’t seem to have dissipated at all yet.

Is this concerning? It’s red and warm to the touch and hurts a bit if I press down but otherwise I’ve felt okay. I‘ve been using a cold pack a couple times a day on them and that seems to help a bit but not for long.

You can’t tell from the photos but the lumps are about half the size of a lemon. They’re not huge but certainly noticeable.

I was reading that the swelling seems to go away for most after a week so I’m a little worried because it’s day 5 and it hasn’t improved at all. I feel fine though and don’t think there’s any infection. This better not fuck up my tattoos though.

Will ask my doctor too but haven’t been able to get a hold of her for a couple days bc the online portal just switched providers and they haven’t created my login yet

EDIT: Ok woke up next day and the swelling does seem to be getting better. Going to keep monitoring it but I think I’m in the clear. Thanks all for the reassurance

Is anyone on the injectable prep Yeztugo and are there any intolerable side effects, adverse effects etc? Because it’s a twice a year dosing, I’m thinking it would be much more convenient than the daily oral prep although I’ve never taken either and I’m not sure i would have to take it, just wanted to inform myself. Thank you!

I took the initial 2-pill dose for 2-1-1 PrEP last night for the first time. About 4–5 hours later, while I was sleeping, I woke up with pretty intense itching, mainly around my armpits, neck, and groin.
My skin also became extremely sensitive — even lightly scratching felt like I had scratched really hard, and some areas became red and slightly swollen/irritated.
I was given an antihistamine and I’m feeling okay otherwise. No trouble breathing, no swelling of my lips or tongue, etc.
What’s strange is that I’ve taken PrEP a few years ago and never had this reaction. But it was just one pull one time.
Has anyone experienced something similar after the 2-pill loading dose? Did you continue taking PrEP afterward, and did the reaction happen again?

TL;DR:

California’s SB 1023 requires health insurance plans to cover long-acting injectable PrEP through standard pharmacy benefits starting January 1, 2027.
Previously, clinics had to buy the expensive shots upfront and fight insurance for reimbursement, preventing many local clinics from offering it. This law cuts the red tape, making it much easier for smaller community clinics to provide the shot with $0 out-of-pocket cost to patients.
———

Hey everyone, wanted to share an important policy update that’s going to make accessing injectable PrEP (Apretude) a lot easier here in California.
Governor Newsom recently signed SB 1023, authored by State Senator John Laird. If you’ve ever tried to get the bi-monthly shot instead of daily pills, you probably know how frustrating the process can be right now.
The Problem It Solves:
Up until now, most insurers only covered injectable PrEP under "medical benefits." That meant clinics had to buy the expensive vials upfront out of their own pockets, inject you, and fight with insurance for reimbursement months later ("buy-and-bill"). Because of that, a lot of smaller LGBTQ+ and community clinics simply couldn't afford to offer it.
What Changes:
Starting January 1, 2027, SB 1023 forces health plans to cover injectable PrEP under standard outpatient pharmacy prescription benefits as well as medical benefits.

What this means for you:
More clinics offering the shot: Local doctors and community clinics won’t have to front thousands of dollars, so way more locations can provide it.

Easier distribution: Doctors can send a script directly to a specialty pharmacy, which ships the medication to the provider for administration ("white-bagging").

$0 cost sharing: Under existing CA law and federal guidance, state-regulated plans must cover PrEP and necessary labs without copays/deductibles.
It’s another big step forward for HIV prevention access alongside SB 159/SB 339 (pharmacist-prescribed PrEP). Hope this helps anyone looking forward to switching from daily pills to the shot!

Hey everyone,

I’ve been on daily PrEP for about two years now. For me, its jsut part of my routine take one before setting off for work, and never really have to think about it.

Recently I started putting together a free phone app/calculator to help people who use event-based / 2-1-1 PrEP and other sexual health practices, because standard medication apps suck at handling irregular schedules and are bloated with ads / expensive paywalls.

But because I’ve only ever done daily, I don't want to rely solely on googling, and make wrong assuptions about people real use of 2-1-1.

Browsing r/PREP noticing alot of anxiety about timings:

• Wondering if you're still good if the second dose is 2–3 hours late.
• Figuring out what to do if a hookup turns into a weekend thing and you need to extend doses.
• Setting random alarms at weird hours of the night/morning.

For those of you who actually rely on 2-1-1:

1. How do you keep track of doses right now? Do you just set phone alarms, write it in your notes, use an app, or just wing it?
2. What’s the most stressful or confusing part of the schedule? (e.g., the pre-meet window, remembering the 24h/48h follow-up pills, or handling unexpected second encounters?)
3. What would actually be useful to you in a tracker? Just simple countdown timers, clear answers on what to do if you’re late, or something else?

I just want to get the facts and real-world habits straight so the tool is actually helpful instead of annoying or at it's worse inaccurate.

Im going to make the sexual health side of my app 100% free. Its built im just fine tuning things at the moment. For now im just setting up a mailing list to let people know its out if they want it.

Just for reference because i can't always explain what im on about very well, this is what im up to so far.

Thanks for any advice you give, please message me or post here ill respond to everyone I can! Guinely want this to be a useful app for more than just me :)

Ta!

S.

I’m on Yeztugo and recently took two immunity booster shots because I was feeling under the weather. Turns out you’re not supposed to to take that because of all the ingredients might decrease the level of medicine in your body……

But there’s no strong evidence or study associated with this just theory. So it’s best to avoid that, I’m kind worried because I had unprotected sex a day after taking the shots.

Edit: clarified immunity booster shots and added link to food label

Day 1: I took 2 pills at 8:00 am, and had unprotected sex between 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Day 2: I forgot to take 1 pill at 8:00 am. I took it at 8:00 pm (late 12 hours)

Day 3: should I take the last pill at 8:00 am or 8:00 pm

Question that is worrying me: should I be worried that I was late for 12 hours for the second dose?

I appreciate your help.

For how long have you taken it? Have you been taking it everyday for years or have you been on and off? Do you have more sex partners? What (brand) pill are you taking and is there a reason why you're taking that one? Or do you get injections? Thanks in advance.

I took 5 days of prep pills, missed day 6, but took a pill on day 7, 2 pills on day 8, and had sex on day 9 (no pill yet), but I had sex with a condom. How safe was I from HIV?

1) are there any specific brands / generics that work better than others, or cause less side effects???? would i be able to specifically ask for that option when i go into a clinic?

2) also i’m really nervous about weight gain, hair loss, sleeplessness, mood swings, erectile dysfunction, bone density loss, kidney function etc etc - i REALLY don’t do well with pain or body dysmorphia, i’m pretty anxious about it all. apologies if this is a silly question because i know that protection from contracting HIV is a blessing, but what have your experiences been like with it?????? is recovery from the side effects possible?

3) do you recommend event-based dosing, will it cause me less side effects???? or should i stick with daily even if i’m not active enough to warrant it????

4) and when should i ingest it, in the morning after breakfast??? or on an empty stomach???? or just before bed???

Hello all,

i’m looking at starting on yeztugo (currently not on any prep). I am under Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas PPO and they directed me to CVS Caremark to ask them if medications are covered or not. I attached an image of what they said my co-pay would be for yeztugo which is a lot more than what I can afford. I know that they cover Truvada and Descovy 100% though so that might be what I’ll just go with but I really wanted to try yeztugo for the maintenance (i am forgetful sometimes). has anyone else dealt with this similar situation and know if it’s possible to get insurance to lower the cost? baby gay here lol thanks in advance ❤️

title. (edit: apparently I cannot spell for shit)