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LGBT News A Pill to Prevent HIV?

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by drwinchester, May 15, 2014.

  1. drwinchester

    drwinchester Guest

    The pill Truvada can prevent HIV: So why are so few gay men taking it? | Out Magazine

    Thoughts?
     
  2. Rakkaus

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    I'm thinking of going on PrEP/Truvada myself. I've been talking about it with my social worker. I have to get a negative HIV test (planning on getting tested tomorrow), then you can go on it, then every month or every 3 months or something like that you come back and test again to make sure you are negative.

    Not because I am interested in going bareback, but simply to add an extra layer of protection against HIV.

    The most common side effect I've heard of has been nausea, but I've heard it goes away after a few weeks. I hope it does.
     
  3. BryanM

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    I posted about this in December. It sounds like a good idea if you take it the recommended amount of times and use condoms.
     
  4. KrnlKrazy

    KrnlKrazy Guest

    So I don't get it. If its proven to work and reduce the chance, then why worry so god damn much? If anything I want to figure out where I could get this. I mean the safer the better right?
     
  5. BryanM

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    There are some questions about the effectiveness of it if you miss a dosage. I've heard its rate can drop from 99% down to 50% if you miss a single dose. Also, health insurance providers are taking their time on covering this drug on their plans.
     
    #5 BryanM, May 15, 2014
    Last edited: May 15, 2014
  6. Pret Allez

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    While this is a cool result, and I love science, so I love anything that makes people safer, I still wouldn't use this for myself or rely on it.

    Condoms are not just to keep the penetrated partner from getting HIV. It's to keep the penetrating partner from getting a urinary tract infection.

    In my opinion, male-bodied people need to learn to love fucking with a condom.
     
  7. KrnlKrazy

    KrnlKrazy Guest

    Oh ok. That makes more sense.
     
  8. Aldrick

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    This a hundred fold.

    Even with no risk of HIV it still makes sense to use a condom, and if you're using a condom why use the pill? Let's also not pretend that HIV is the only STI out there - there are plenty of others you'd want protection against as well.

    Drugs always have complications and side effects. If you're relying a lot on the pill over the long haul, who can say what it does to you?

    My general stance when it comes to drugs: take as few as possible.

    I'd only consider taking the pill if I were having lots of casual sex with many different people, and thus I would only be taking it for a limited time. It would just be another added layer of defense.
     
  9. Pret Allez

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    Aldrick is always such a kind seconder. (*hug*)

    It also occurred to me that we generally don't want to be medicating when we can simply adjust our behavior.
     
  10. HuskyPup

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    One problem: The cost of one year of this is $13,000.

    That's $250, each and every week.

    $35.61 per pill.

    Without insurance, good luck.

    Even with insurance, you're still going to most likely paying a very hefty fee.

    I suppose this might be good news, for those who can afford it, or have access to health care, but for many, it won't be within their economic means in any realistic way.
     
    #10 HuskyPup, May 16, 2014
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  11. Brandiac

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    It's literally a cock tease. "Hey look, here's a pill for all your troubles, but you can't afford it. Sucks to be you." I'm one of those people who's not sure wheter HIV is of natural origin or not... but either way it's killing people and that's not very nice at all. And like many others mentioned, what kind of side effects could this have in the long run? Who knows if the companies put neurotoxin in it or cancer inducing compunds.
    I'll just stick to one person sticking it in me and I'll be fine. And even if not...I'll have a few years to say goodbye. Who knows whether it'll be worth living for me like 8 years in the future or not anyway. I don't want to live to see the day when the world burns.
     
  12. Rakkaus

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    Condoms can break.

    People rarely use condoms for oral sex, even though there is some risk there.

    And sometimes otherwise-responsible people have too much to drink and make one bad decision one night.

    PrEP is an added layer of protection.

    And some people are going to engage in bareback sex no matter what you say to them. The naysayers to PrEP here insisting on solely offering condoms remind me of Sarah Palin-style abstinence-only education. Teens will have sex, no matter how much you 'educate' them to be abstinent, so it's better to teach them to have safe sex to minimize risk. (Obviously Sarah's own daughter was never taught how to use protection and certainly didn't abstain.) Some people are going to have sex without condoms, no matter how much you insist they wear them, so it's good to have another option out there to minimize the risk. Anything that will reduce HIV rates is a positive, not a negative.

    It's like women taking birth control, except for preventing HIV transmission rather than pregnancy. Yes, you have to be responsible enough to take it every day.
     
  13. HuskyPup

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    I don't see it as a bad thing, but I do see the cost as prohibitively high. I think other countries have generic versions of this, but here, it's $13,000 a year. I suppose this is less than treating actual full-blown cases of AIDS, but it's still pretty costly. I wonder when it will be available as a generic, and how much the price will be then?

    I agree that it is a good thing, and that people will always have times when they have risky/unprotected sex; it's the nature of humans in moments of passion.
     
  14. Rakkaus

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    There are certain places, LGBT medical centers, that offer the pill for free as part of a 'trial'. I know of one in Manhattan, they did a presentation on PrEP/Truvada at my local LGBT center. I've discussed it with the social worker at the center, and basically you need a negative HIV test, you go on PrEP, and then you have to go back and get tested every month showing HIV-negative results.

    The most commonly reported side effect has been nausea, but in most cases the side effects appear to subside after a few weeks.

    The pill has the FDA-approval to be covered by insurance, and according to the presentation I saw, most insurance companies will cover it. New prescription drugs are always monstrously expensive when they first come out. Over time, the prices fall, and eventually the patent expires and then much cheaper generics can be produced.
     
  15. Bolt35

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    depends on how you look at it. at least for me i don't think i'm going to jump on the bandwagon right away. you never know how those kind of things can react to your body. it may seem a bit "hopeful" but it doesn't mean it's a solution. i'd say learn how to stick it in with the condom. FDA also approved of a lot of crap that aren't really healthy or natural for humans in the first place.
     
  16. Aldrick

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    The likelihood of a condom breaking if stored and used properly is very low. It takes a lot to break a condom.

    It's true that people rarely use condoms for oral sex. However, "some risk" is a bit too broad of statement. The risk of getting HIV from oral sex is so small that it is hard to find any verifiable cases where it has happened. Additionally, you can further reduce your risk by not having oral sex while having cold sores (if you get them), ulcers in the mouth, engage in good dental hygiene (brush your teeth and floss daily, work to have healthy gums, and thus no bleeding), don't let him ejaculate in your mouth to reduce fluid exchange, and avoid any situation where you're having oral sex with an open wound in your mouth... well, if you do those things your risks of getting HIV from oral sex is so low, I'd be more worried about catching something else.

    If you're extra worried, you could still use a condom for oral sex. Just make sure it's a flavored condom, and bring some breath mints. That allows you to deal with the latex taste. The same rules would apply if you were using a dental dam, which is exactly what you're using a condom for in this case.

    The best advice in these cases is to make a rule: if you're too drunk to drive, then you're too drunk to have sex. It's a good rule to have, not only for safety reasons, but for reasons involving consent as well.

    Yes, some people will, and that's unfortunate. For such people PrEP makes sense, because their risk factors are high. One of the concerns I have, though, is that it creates a situation where there is pressure to 'just take the pill'. I don't think anyone should treat it as a miracle drug, because after all HIV isn't the only STI you risk through sex.

    This is exactly what PrEP is: an added layer of protection. It's best used based on individual risk factors and behavior. If someone is out having lots of casual sex, then taking PrEP makes sense for the added layer of protection. It reduces concerns and fears when entering into a relationship with someone who is HIV+ because PrEP, in addition to condom use, is going to protect you from getting infected as well. Obviously, if you're having unprotected sex, then PrEP also makes sense.

    However, if you're in a stable relationship with a guy, you both know your HIV status is negative, and you're using condoms every time you have sex... does PrEP make sense? No, not really. You're just wasting money on medication, with no clear idea on the long term effects on your body.

    So, once again, it comes down to risk factors and behavior. If you're in a situation where you would be at higher risk (such as in a relationship with someone who is HIV+), or you're engaging in behavior that puts you at high risk then PrEP makes sense as an added layer of protection.

    I just don't think PrEP should be considered the first line of protection, and certainly not the ONLY form of protection. I don't want to see PrEP used as an excuse to bareback and engage in otherwise unhealthy and dangerous behavior. If someone is engaging in dangerous activities that are putting themselves at risk, then yes PrEP may be necessary, but we also have to look at the behavior and encourage that to change. After all, once again, HIV isn't the only thing someone is putting themselves at risk of contracting.
     
  17. AdelOwl

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    Am I the only person who finds it a bit weird that a medical professional was risking multiple STIs just because he didn't like using condoms? And then stressing constantly about getting HIV afterwards? He should be more aware of the risks than most people and it's especially concerning if he was sleeping with multiple partners and putting them at risk as well.

    As far as the pill goes, it sounds like a good thing if it's used in addition to other forms of protection.
     
  18. Gengars

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    That's crazy! Isn't the HIV virus constantly changing and adapting? Like, if it prevents HIV now, than it won't be able to prevent it in the near future. The whole thing sounds a little farfetched to me, like there's some kind of catch to it.
     
  19. BibleBeltBill

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    Yeah this sounds all good and well on paper, but those hoping to take advantage probably will not be very successful.
    Most doctors will first want to know why you feel you really need this in the first place?
    You can't expect much cooperation if your answer is that you are sexually promiscuous, or would like to be sexually promiscuous as back in the good old pre-HIV days, or even with telling the doctor you are just wanting to be as safe as you can be.
    Not very many doctors are going to write out a script after hearing that from a patient.
    And few insurance companies are going to cover medication when the facts are known.

    The old Doc himself is first going to question if you are mentally all together inside your noggin. Second, the doc is going to strongly advise that patient to use available over the counter protection. And third, the doctor is going to question his responsibly and oath with scripting such medication to any patient intending to toss better judgment to the wind.

    The only possible conditions a doctor might script such a medication would be if the patient lives and is partner with or married to an hiv positive partner. Or, if that patient works closely with hiv positive people, especially as a medical professional. Or, if that patient has the financial ability to pay most or all of the cost with not relying on insurance approval. And as someone mentioned before, antiviral hiv drugs costs hundreds if not thousands a month.

    Looks fine on paper, reality is another thing.
    Most doctors just don't go that route without sound reasoning when doing so.
     
  20. Techno Kid

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    They should keep the research on this up! :slight_smile: