PrEP Survey/Question

[marylander1940]

Maybe in some case, but I suspect you have that the wrong way around. I suspect mostly people don't use condoms because they take PrEP.

 

Tomato, tomatoe

 

Let's agree that they take PrEP because they don't want to use condoms, and I hope they did when PrEP wasn't around.

 

I shouldn't be posting before my coffee...

[Guest]

Me too... I wasn't very active when HIV started in the 80's and from that time till PrEP was created it was an act of irresponsible madness having sex without a a condom. After 6 months on PrEP I finally got the courage to BB.

 

Hopefully you won't be condom-shamed in this thread by the PrEP team or call anti-science bigot. Cutler X was offered $100 extra by a forum member to wear a condom while topping him, and he simply replied: "I'm not doing such a thing!". I remember a time when escort occasionally would be offered extra to BB, the smart ones "just said NO!"

 

I came out at the height of the AIDS crisis so when I first started having sex with guys I just met it was usually just oral and I was still terrified. At one point early on I actually made guys blow me while I wore one of those mint flavored condoms.

 

When I had my first long term relationship he asked if we could go "bare" since we were monogamous and tested. It was really hard for me mentally to do that because condom use was so ingrained in me.

[+ Snbrd]

Condom use, with or without PrEP, has been discussed on other threads. Let's face it, while none of us want to get an STD, fucking without condoms is easier, feels better and allows for more flipping and spontaneity. In addition most positive guys are now undetectable. That means the situation is very different than when a lot of us started having sex.

 

Having survived the 90's and early 2000's I will always recoil when I hear of young guys talking about taking multiple loads and other crazy risky behavior. I will be forever grateful for being careful when the alternative was ominous. As much as I may fret about some of the side effects of getting older it does indeed beat the alternative.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Let's face it. Folks who take PrEP do it because they don't use condoms.

 

I'd say, sure, there's a contingent of guys who fuck exclusively bareback on PrEP.

 

I'd also like to think there are people who realize it's not yet a perfect system and in higher-risk sex, would wear a condom.

[lonely_john]

I have an alarm set up to remind me to take my Truvada. It just went off, and I made the decision. I will not stop. Although right now I am in week 3 of abstinence and very committed, I am a big slut. Time may weaken my will power.

And it’s almost impossible to resist a huge latin cock, OMG! ?

[lonely_john]

The CDC published a study in 2015, that is when I started taking Prep. It said that Prep is 99% effective - when you add the additional protection from condom use...well it is probably as close to 0% chance of transmission as you can get...

I think they say 96 or 98% now but that’s still A LOT.

[lonely_john]

I've been on Truvada since it was approved for PrEP. My PCP has discussed switching to Descovy, but here's the thing. Truvada goes generic in Sept of this year. I am almost certain my insurance will ONLY cover the generic when it's available, so I think Descovy would be at best a short-term switch, and have opted to stay with Truvada. Then again, it feels like I haven't had sex with another human since the Clinton Administration, so the whole thing is an academic exercise anyway.

 

BTW both Truvada and Descovy are marketed by Gilead Pharmaceuticals. The "superior" Descovy option was only brought to market when patent on Truvada was soon to expire. I'm not a fan of Big Pharma conspiracy theories, but the cynical way in which this prevention strategy has been manipulated for $$$ is really astounding.

I do believe either the cure or a vaccine have been ready for a few years now but of course a 1-time shot (vaccine or cure) would never be as profitable as a long-life treatment (PrEP or TasP) over time. I heard someone saying the “biggest scientific advance” they’ll come up with in the next few years is a 2 to 6 months lasting TasP injection. Everyone has rushed now to find Covid vaccine and even dare to say they are close to get it done, yet they “haven’t done” the same for HIV? Big Pharma is full of BS.

Edited March 28, 2020 by lonely_john

[Guest]

If you're not having sex, there is no benefit to taking PrEP and you still have to accept the long-term risks of taking it (kidney, liver, bone). Why do something with no benefit when there's a risk? Also, if you're having sex infrequently, and can plan on the sex 24 hours in advance, the 2-1-1 method is safe and appears to be just as effective.

 

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DOA/CDPH Document Library/PrEP211_101019_ADA.pdf

Edited March 28, 2020 by Unicorn

[SirBillybob]

Truvada and Descovy contain the same dose emtricitabine but different form of tenofovir. To me they are essentially the same ... Descovy may confer less renal toxicity but both below alarm thresholds ... Truvada (or generic equivalents) may confer decreased blood fat levels (or maybe that is less risk increase) and less risk of weight gain.

 

Not proven, but it is speculated Descovy may have a slight edge for ‘on demand’ regimen based on the first 2 doses taken together absorbing (bioavailability) more quickly and efficiently to threshold blood levels.

 

I use generic Truvada for prn on-demand with condom and will not be switching, particularly since my provincial plan may not cover Descovy.