Daily oral PrEP
with Truvada®
- Use once every day.
- Sex without planning.
- Daily pill. Large pill size.
A pill you take once a day to prevent HIV.
If you take the pill every day, it works extremely well. It’s greater than 99% effective when used daily.
Absolutely anyone.
Every day. Once a day.
You can remember to take the pill every day.
Sort of. It’s not advised to miss a dose, but things happen and missing a dose here and there is okay.
The latest data suggest that cis-men and trans women have 99% protection with 4 doses/week. Cis-women have 88% protection with 4 doses/week. We don’t have data for trans men.
There are a few side effects.
Headaches, abdominal pain, and weight loss are common but go away after a couple of weeks. Kidney problems and bone density loss can happen but are rare.
No need to plan sex around pill taking.
Truvada® is available as a generic medication, which may be less expensive for you.
It will depend on your insurance. Without insurance or patient assistance programs, it costs about $40/month.
The generic version can be the least expensive PrEP choice.
If you already have a strong daily vitamin or medicine routine, you can add Truvada® to it.
If you decide to switch to an on-demand strategy you won’t need a new prescription.
Truvada® has also been shown to be slightly better for cholesterol and weight than daily oral PrEP with Descovy®.
Alcohol and other drugs do not affect PrEP. Learn more.
It’s a daily pill. To say protected, you can’t forget it a lot.
The pill size is also on the larger size.
As a daily pill, it can be the less private option compared to a shot.
Truvada® doesn’t affect hormone levels. Generally, hormones don’t affect how well PrEP works.
Estradiol may reduce PrEP levels slightly. So, if you’re taking estradiol, take Truvada® with food.
Truvada® stops HIV from reproducing. So, it can’t infect you.
