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Post Exposure Prophylaxis What is PEP? Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is a medication regimen that can be prescribed after a potential exposure to HIV. These medications might be able to prevent the HIV virus from taking hold in someone’s immune system. No one knows how effective PEP is. It’s impossible to tell whether the medications worked to prevent transmission or if the person would never have become infected in the first place. (Even when someone’s exposed to HIV, they don’t always become infected.) How do you take it? PEP is exactly the same regimen that someone living with HIV takes to slow down the virus. It involves a minimum of three medications, all of which have to be taken at specific times and following specific guidelines (i.e., with food, on an empty stomach). The medications are expensive and come with the possibility of severe side effects for the duration of treatment. PEP lasts for one month, and is most likely to be effective if started within 72 hours of the potential exposure. Who is qualified to take it? |
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