THEGAYUK

Tag: Truvada

All the latest breaking news on Truvada. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Truvada.

  • ADVICE | Does PrEP stop you getting HIV? Where can I get it from?

    This week a reader asks about PrEP, what it does, where to get it and if it’s available on the NHS.

    Does PrEP stop you getting HIV? Where can I get it from?

    Pharmacy2U’s Clinical Governance Pharmacist Phil Day answers the PrEP question.

     

    Dear TGUK

    I’ve heard that there’s a drug that can stop me from getting HIV – Where can I get this? Is it available on the NHS?
     
    I’ve been using condoms but sometimes it can really kill the moment. I wanted to know if there’s an easier way to protect myself.

    Tom

     

    Dear Tom,

    While advances in medicine mean that most people living with HIV are now unlikely to contract AIDS, you should still always wear a condom. They also provide protection against a number of other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

    In fact, there’s been a rise in sexually transmitted diseases for the first time in decades because many people are ignoring advice on wearing a condom.

    Have you tried experimenting with some different rubbers and lubes? There’s a vast choice and manufacturers have invested millions into making condoms that can actually enhance your fun as well as protect you.  If you’re shy, there’s a great range online as well as in the shops.

    You can always put a condom on in advance if you think you’re going to have sex so that it doesn’t interrupt proceedings, or make it part of the sex session by putting them on each other. It’s also wise to use them if you’re just sticking to oral sex.

    But to answer your question on Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, it is a drug treatment protocol using a prescription medicine called Truvada, and has been shown in a recent trial to be highly effective in preventing HIV in gay and bisexual men, when taken daily and used in combination with other infection prevention measures.

    Truvada contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) and is already routinely used in combination with other medicines to treat existing HIV infection.

    The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Truvada’s use by people at very high risk of HIV infection. Despite trials of Truvada in a number of cities, the NHS is not currently planning to make PrEP available on prescription in the UK, leading to anger and frustration among campaigners.

    Truvada is available from a small number of private clinics in the UK and is expensive. People should only ever take medicines prescribed by a UK-registered GP and dispensed by a UK-registered pharmacy.

    Did you know you can order an at-home HIV test online?  Click here to buy one

     

    The advice given in this article is for guidance only and you should always seek your own independent, professional medical advice from your own GP if you are concerned about your health.  

    OTHER QUESTIONS: HIV | WILLY WONDERS | HOLES | DOING IT | STIs | LUMPS & BUMPS | BACK TO SEX CLINIC HOME PAGE

    Got a problem you’d like advice on?

  • COMMENT | Truvada Friend or an enemy?

    The use of Truvada as a prophylactic medication has awakened a rage of discussion and controversy.

    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos
    (C) marcbruxel Depositphotos

    In Europe, the discussion is not that heated yet, but in the US, it is already on fire. Last year, the president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation wrote an article in New York Times about Truvada, and that caught my interest. He was advocating against Truvada. It made me wonder, why are people for or against a medication like this?

    I decided to do a little “research”, and browsed through numerous articles and discussions about the expanded use of a medication such as Truvada.

    What I found in numerous comments was that, stigma and judgment are well positioned and in place, and that is a shame. Stigma and judgment will not bring anything good to the table. There are already two camps that developed – those who are for using Truvada and those who are against it or do not want anyone to use it.

    Since the discovery of HIV, we have been dreaming about a vaccine or an effective treatment.

    Right from the beginning, large amounts of resources have been deployed to find a cure and to find a vaccine. However, we soon understood that neither a cure nor a vaccine would be found overnight. We have never given up hope though, and today, there are several companies and different entities that specialise in such research.

    I believe that in 10 or 20 years, we will either have a new form of effective treatment or a vaccine. But, how are we going to react? I know Truvada is not a vaccine. It’s actually not a new drug. It was discovered in 2004, but has always been used only for the treatment of HIV – until now.

    So, what is wrong or good with Truvada?

    Those who advocate for it say that it is a sort of a revolution in the prevention of HIV. You take a tablet each day, and you sorted out (well, sort of). Those opposing Truvada say that it does not protect you from other STDs, and, if not taken properly, not only will it not fully protect, it also gives you false security.

    People may ask you, what do you think? How to respond to a question like this?

    “You know, I do not like condoms, and I will never use them. But I am willing to use Truvada, and it is something I actually believe in. What do you think?”

    How should one respond to such a question? Advocate for the use of condoms, just for the sake of it, or recommend Truvada on its own, or together with condoms?

    Questions likes these, related to the use of Truvada, will appear and challenge us, more and more in the coming years. I am sure there will be several more medications approved for prophylactic use, and, at the ultimate moment, the emergence of a vaccine will occur. I suppose a vaccine for HIV is a dream of many; just a single shot and you never get HIV. Sounds great? A vaccine will, again, protect us from HIV only, not from other STDs.

    So, are we going to be willing to give the vaccine to everyone, even if it would mean a widespread drop in the use of condoms?

     

    by JZ

     

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