Anyone here on PrEP 2-1-1?

[Pittlookalike]

Thanks much down to business!

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

For those of you that are prescribed the daily Truvada, I've discussed with my physician remaining on the prescription schedule, even when I take breaks. This way I can build a little of my own inventory of Truvada in case there's a time the co-pays end and I cannot afford the prescription.

[Rudynate]

You can get a generic brand (TENVIR) from offshore for about $75/month

[thisidethatside]

(1) So my guess is that when you are certain you won't be sexually active for a while, you will pause on the daily regimen, and switch to the 2-1-1 method?

 

i remain sexually active whether i am taking a daily dose of truvada (PrEP) or using the 2-1-1 method (aside from the covid-19 quarantine anomaly). i go off PrEP & switch to 2-1-1 when my work schedule is dense/hectic. my sexual behaviors adjust in response to the natural limitations of working 12-15 hr days 6 days a week. i have fewer partners, shorter experiences, don't use apps, i focus on men i know & the type of sex shifts to mostly bjs, rimming, jerk-offs, heavy petting, humping, make-outs all in quick heated bursts on a lunch break, at the gym, heading home after work, etc. there is less fucking & i stop bottoming b/c i do not have the time for preparation & penetration on the days i work. i communicate openly about 2-1-1, PrEP, my status, my intos and my time constraints.

 

below is an example of how i use 2-1-1:

if i am dating someone during a busy work phase, off PrEP & we agree to chill at my place on a friday night, i will take 2 truvada when we confirm our plans on friday afternoon & simultaneously set an alert on my phone for 24 & 48hrs dose reminders knowing it will most likely turn into a sleepover. if one of us cancels or we don't bareback i will either not take the remaining pills (no big deal) or stick to the 24 hour schedule and plan for fun on saturday/sunday. a lot can go down from a saturday afternoon until a monday morning.

 

on 2-1-1 it is recommended to take the double dose a minimum of 2 hours before sex, but ideally 24 hours before sex. after many lengthy discussions with my doctor about the reasoning & flexibly of the 2-24 hour pill-before-sex window we both feel very comfortable when i dose 6 to 18 hrs before sex. i integrated the 2-1-1 regimen years ago & it has been a very successful option for me during exceptionally busy times. it can also lead to getting back on the daily pill (PrEP) or being on truvada for 6 days or 10 days etc.

 

so i am still engaged sexually in a variety of ways without being on PrEP and the rigid time restrictions of my schedule support the break in medication without much risk. i also don't feel like i am a slave to PrEP. i have less anxiety if i am late taking a pill, miss a day or 2 days even or stop for a week and start again. i have a deeper understanding of how the medication works and works in my body. i feel more in control.

 

note: my doctor does NOT recommend barebacking on PrEP or 2-1-1. he recommends always using condoms with PrEP or 2-1-1 as the best protection against sti. my doc is gay and provides care primarily to the lgbt community.

 

(2) Did you have strong reaction to truvada when you first started on it? I have never taken any PrEP, so I'd like to know if I take it for 2-1-1, will it mess up my planned encounter.

 

nope. i did not experience any issues when i first started truvada or thereafter, however it was via a 28 day treatment of PEP prescribed under a completely different set of circumstances and with isentress. i remember feeling quite nervous about the possibility of a bad reaction to both meds, but i had little time to think before i took my first pill & larger distractions.

 

unfortunately, you won't know how or if it effects you until you try it. i have some concerns over your first dose of truvada being a double dose. will you have the benefit of bloodwork first to confirm your liver can handle 2-1-1?

 

 

(3) I read about people having horrible reactions to PEP. What was your experience?

 

luckily i experienced no side-effects from the 28 day combination of truvada & isentress.

 

i appreciate your openness and willingness to ask questions about sexual health; please let me know if you have anymore.

[thisidethatside]

a break occurred in the previous post when i replied to your questions - here they are again (hopefully without the break):

(1) So my guess is that when you are certain you won't be sexually active for a while, you will pause on the daily regimen, and switch to the 2-1-1 method?

 

i remain sexually active whether i am taking a daily dose of truvada (PrEP) or using the 2-1-1 method (aside from the covid-19 quarantine anomaly). i go off PrEP & switch to 2-1-1 when my work schedule is dense/hectic. my sexual behaviors adjust in response to the natural limitations of working 12-15 hr days 6 days a week. i have fewer partners, shorter experiences, don't use apps, i focus on men i know & the type of sex shifts to mostly bjs, rimming, jerk-offs, heavy petting, humping, make-outs all in quick heated bursts on a lunch break, at the gym, heading home after work, etc. there is less fucking & i stop bottoming b/c i do not have the time for preparation & penetration on the days i work. i communicate openly about 2-1-1, PrEP, my status, my intos and my time constraints.

 

below is an example of how i use 2-1-1:

if i am dating someone during a busy work phase, off PrEP & we agree to chill at my place on a friday night, i will take 2 truvada when we confirm our plans on friday afternoon & simultaneously set an alert on my phone for 24 & 48hrs dose reminders knowing it will most likely turn into a sleepover. if one of us cancels or we don't bareback i will either not take the remaining pills (no big deal) or stick to the 24 hour schedule and plan for fun on saturday/sunday. a lot can go down from a saturday afternoon until a monday morning.

 

on 2-1-1 it is recommended to take the double dose a minimum of 2 hours before sex, but ideally 24 hours before sex. after many lengthy discussions with my doctor about the reasoning & flexibly of the 2-24 hour pill-before-sex window we both feel very comfortable when i dose 6 to 18 hrs before sex. i integrated the 2-1-1 regimen years ago & it has been a very successful option for me during exceptionally busy times. it can also lead to getting back on the daily pill (PrEP) or being on truvada for 6 days or 10 days etc.

 

so i am still engaged sexually in a variety of ways without being on PrEP and the rigid time restrictions of my schedule support the break in medication without much risk. i also don't feel like i am a slave to PrEP. i have less anxiety if i am late taking a pill, miss a day or 2 days even or stop for a week and start again. i have a deeper understanding of how the medication works and works in my body. i feel more in control.

 

note: my doctor does NOT recommend barebacking on PrEP or 2-1-1. he recommends always using condoms with PrEP or 2-1-1 as the best protection against sti. my doc is gay and provides care primarily to the lgbt community.

 

(2) Did you have strong reaction to truvada when you first started on it? I have never taken any PrEP, so I'd like to know if I take it for 2-1-1, will it mess up my planned encounter.

 

nope. i did not experience any issues when i first started truvada or thereafter, however it was via a 28 day treatment of PEP prescribed under a completely different set of circumstances and with isentress. i remember feeling quite nervous about the possibility of a bad reaction to both meds, but i had little time to think before i took my first pill & larger distractions.

 

unfortunately, you won't know how or if it effects you until you try it. i have some concerns over your first dose of truvada being a double dose. will you have the benefit of bloodwork first to confirm your liver can handle 2-1-1?

 

(3) I read about people having horrible reactions to PEP. What was your experience?

 

luckily i experienced no side-effects from the 28 day combination of truvada & isentress.

 

i appreciate your openness and willingness to ask questions about sexual health; please let me know if you have anymore.

[thisidethatside]

When I first leaned about viruses in college biology, they weren’t considered to be living organisms because they didn’t meet all the requirements to satisfy the accepted definition of a life form. Since then, the understanding has changed and viruses are now considered living organisms.

 

hi there,

i am genuinely curious about whose understanding is it that viruses are now living organisms?

thanks!

[SirBillybob]

I have only used the ‘on demand’ version 2 + 1 + 1 ... more +1s as needed for an extended length (ie, travelling for sexual activity). I think maybe initially one or two bottles of Truvada for that purpose. I think it’s about 2 years now. I have been taking it as generic for most of that time, tenofovir / emtricitabine. It will be a while until re-uptake for travel and I will explore options again. It will hinge on what my government insurance covers.

 

One side effect I recall: hot sex in Spain, Switzerland, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Brazil. But still condom use for insertive or receptive anal. After 35 years, I find the latex pretty much associatively eroticized.

Edited October 1, 2020 by SirBIllybob

[Wolfer]

If you only have about 1 or 2 sexual encounters a year and they are sufficiently planned ahead of time you could start taking PrEP 7 days prior. I've read that after that period you can be 100% sure you have adequate amount of medicine in your system to protect you.

 

I myself have always been on the 2-1-1 regimen but I would get bad side-effects (gastric destress, nausea, headaches, lethargy, fatigue, groginess). So much so my PrEP doctor recommended me to take it daily for a few weeks to see if I would adjust. It was a horrible three weeks as the side effects got worse until one day suddenly I didn't have any side effects anymore.

 

I eventually switched back to 2-1-1 since I just wasn't very sexually active. I started PrEP late 2018 as Truvada and mid-2019 my doctor switched me to generic.

[Rudynate]

hi there,

i am genuinely curious about whose understanding is it that viruses are now living organisms?

thanks!

I’m sure you know to use google scholar to answer your question.

[Rudynate]

I’m sure you know to use google scholar to answer your question.. V

 

 

 

But I will say this. Viruses are classified as obligate intracellular parasites. There are many species of obligate intracellular parasites, most or all of which are considered living organisms. What is it about viruses that would make it incorrect to see them as living organisms, in view of the fact that so many other obligate intracellular parasites are clearly living organisms? I truthfully don't know. My undergraduate degree is in biology but my knowledge is very dated.

[+ FrankR]

But I will say this. Viruses are classified as obligate intracellular parasites. There are many species of obligate intracellular parasites, most or all of which are considered living organisms. What is it about viruses that would make it incorrect to see them as living organisms, in view of the fact that so many other obligate intracellular parasites are clearly living organisms? I truthfully don't know. My undergraduate degree is in biology but my knowledge is very dated.

When you boys start talking science...or is it biology?? ?

[+ sniper]

But I will say this. Viruses are classified as obligate intracellular parasites. There are many species of obligate intracellular parasites, most or all of which are considered living organisms. What is it about viruses that would make it incorrect to see them as living organisms, in view of the fact that so many other obligate intracellular parasites are clearly living organisms? I truthfully don't know. My undergraduate degree is in biology but my knowledge is very dated.

I think it's that the only thing they do is reproduce and they don't do any of the other things we associate with being alive. They don't breathe, they don't eat, they don't excrete, they don't move on their own.

[Yeahman]

a break occurred in the previous post when i replied to your questions - here they are again (hopefully without the break):

(1) So my guess is that when you are certain you won't be sexually active for a while, you will pause on the daily regimen, and switch to the 2-1-1 method?

 

i remain sexually active whether i am taking a daily dose of truvada (PrEP) or using the 2-1-1 method (aside from the covid-19 quarantine anomaly). i go off PrEP & switch to 2-1-1 when my work schedule is dense/hectic. my sexual behaviors adjust in response to the natural limitations of working 12-15 hr days 6 days a week. i have fewer partners, shorter experiences, don't use apps, i focus on men i know & the type of sex shifts to mostly bjs, rimming, jerk-offs, heavy petting, humping, make-outs all in quick heated bursts on a lunch break, at the gym, heading home after work, etc. there is less fucking & i stop bottoming b/c i do not have the time for preparation & penetration on the days i work. i communicate openly about 2-1-1, PrEP, my status, my intos and my time constraints.

 

below is an example of how i use 2-1-1:

if i am dating someone during a busy work phase, off PrEP & we agree to chill at my place on a friday night, i will take 2 truvada when we confirm our plans on friday afternoon & simultaneously set an alert on my phone for 24 & 48hrs dose reminders knowing it will most likely turn into a sleepover. if one of us cancels or we don't bareback i will either not take the remaining pills (no big deal) or stick to the 24 hour schedule and plan for fun on saturday/sunday. a lot can go down from a saturday afternoon until a monday morning.

 

on 2-1-1 it is recommended to take the double dose a minimum of 2 hours before sex, but ideally 24 hours before sex. after many lengthy discussions with my doctor about the reasoning & flexibly of the 2-24 hour pill-before-sex window we both feel very comfortable when i dose 6 to 18 hrs before sex. i integrated the 2-1-1 regimen years ago & it has been a very successful option for me during exceptionally busy times. it can also lead to getting back on the daily pill (PrEP) or being on truvada for 6 days or 10 days etc.

 

so i am still engaged sexually in a variety of ways without being on PrEP and the rigid time restrictions of my schedule support the break in medication without much risk. i also don't feel like i am a slave to PrEP. i have less anxiety if i am late taking a pill, miss a day or 2 days even or stop for a week and start again. i have a deeper understanding of how the medication works and works in my body. i feel more in control.

 

note: my doctor does NOT recommend barebacking on PrEP or 2-1-1. he recommends always using condoms with PrEP or 2-1-1 as the best protection against sti. my doc is gay and provides care primarily to the lgbt community.

 

(2) Did you have strong reaction to truvada when you first started on it? I have never taken any PrEP, so I'd like to know if I take it for 2-1-1, will it mess up my planned encounter.

 

nope. i did not experience any issues when i first started truvada or thereafter, however it was via a 28 day treatment of PEP prescribed under a completely different set of circumstances and with isentress. i remember feeling quite nervous about the possibility of a bad reaction to both meds, but i had little time to think before i took my first pill & larger distractions.

 

unfortunately, you won't know how or if it effects you until you try it. i have some concerns over your first dose of truvada being a double dose. will you have the benefit of bloodwork first to confirm your liver can handle 2-1-1?

 

(3) I read about people having horrible reactions to PEP. What was your experience?

 

luckily i experienced no side-effects from the 28 day combination of truvada & isentress.

 

i appreciate your openness and willingness to ask questions about sexual health; please let me know if you have anymore.

 

Thank you for taking the time to detail your regimen. It's very helpful for new comers and give us an idea on what options we have in moderating the regimen.

 

As for your concern about my liver (or kidney), I am still pretty healthy, and I think the doctors will do some basic lab work to make sure I'm Okay to take PrEP med. I definitely want to get protected before my next encounter to have peace of mind. But it'll have to be after the pandemic is under control.

[SirBillybob]

Penicillin, Penis swollen ... let’s call the whole thing off.

[+ FrankR]

Penicillin, Penis swollen ... let’s call the whole thing off.

Funny! Mine seems to swell routinely too - it is a recurring event! ?

[thisidethatside]

I’m sure you know to use google scholar to answer your question.

 

thank you for the reply

[thisidethatside]

Thank you for taking the time to detail your regimen. It's very helpful for new comers and give us an idea on what options we have in moderating the regimen.

 

As for your concern about my liver (or kidney), I am still pretty healthy, and I think the doctors will do some basic lab work to make sure I'm Okay to take PrEP med. I definitely want to get protected before my next encounter to have peace of mind. But it'll have to be after the pandemic is under control.

 

 

no problem, you're welcome

peace of mind is sexy

a prescription for truvada will require lab work

[thisidethatside]

I think it's that the only thing they do is reproduce and they don't do any of the other things we associate with being alive. They don't breathe, they don't eat, they don't excrete, they don't move on their own.

 

viruses are not alive (fact not opinion)

think of viruses like dry seeds (seeds you'd plant or eat)

so like seeds need soil, water, & light, etc. to germinate, viruses need host cells to make more viruses

 

something that is alive generates energy

[Rudynate]

All true. tell me that a virus that has co-opted the metabolic machinery of a cell is not generating energy. It is true that they have a different strategy for generating energy, but they do. As I said, they are intracellular parasites and they employ a parasitic strategy in achieving their ends. Doesn't mean they are not living. And I do agree that virus particles are sort of like seeds. But since when is a seed or a spore not living? Yes, they may be dormant until certain conditions occur, but they are still living.

[Rudynate]

All true. tell me that a virus that has co-opted the metabolic machinery of a cell is not generating energy. It is true that they have a different strategy for generating energy, but they do. As I said, they are intracellular parasites and they employ a parasitic strategy in achieving their ends. Doesn't mean they are not living. And I do agree that virus particles are sort of like seeds. But since when is a seed or a spore not living? Yes, they may be dormant until certain conditions occur, but they are still living.

 

 

 

A hookworm needs a host to survive, but, it is, in fact, living.

[tenderloin]

A hookworm needs a host to survive, but, it is, in fact, living.

That's what I love about this site: the great questions are explored here, from "what is the essence of life - how do we define a living thing?" to "is his cock really that big or is that a photoshop job?"

[thisidethatside]

A hookworm needs a host to survive, but, it is, in fact, living.

 

oh, i see, so, you are saying you believe that a virus with a host is alive, but a virus without a host it is not alive, is that right? just more rambling below on seeds & cells & parasites & such...

 

a seed has cells / a virus does not have cells

a seed is alive / a virus is not alive

a seed is dormant / a virus does not generate energy / a virus is inert

a seed requires water, soil to grow / a virus requires a host to multiply

a seed is/was an imperfect analogy for a virus, but it seemed like a good springboard - needed an explainer or retired

 

a host has cells

a host is alive

a host generates energy

a host with a virus is alive, but the virus itself is not alive

 

alive = 1 or more cells + generates energy

 

there are a variety of different parasites

viruses are by definition parasites

some parasites can live without a host, some parasites can not

single cell parasites are alive

parasitic worms (hookworms) have many cells

parasitic worms are alive

 

*for some reason your post "a hookworm needs a host to survive, but, it is, in fact, living" got me thinking about how humans need water/food to survive but, are in fact, only 43% living because only 43% of a human being is cells, the remaining % are colonists and are therefore not human/alive - another can of hookworms for sure !

[marylander1940]

@Yeahman talk to a Dr you trust about it!

[Yeahman]

@Yeahman talk to a Dr you trust about it!

Thanks. Do you or your friend have experiences getting it from the County level Health Department in Maryland?

[TruthBTold]

This is probably a fundamental question. Let's say you plan to be with someone over a weekend and you know that each weekend day will contain activity that you would like to be protected by 2-1-1 PrEP. So from reading the thread, if you consider just one of the days you would take 2 pills optimally 24 hours before and then 1 pill each of the days after. But how about that middle day. I have a feeling you would not take 2 pills 24 hours before that. Does the first two pill dose cover that (followed by one pill per day after that)? Or is there some other set up you would recommend. Thanks.