Read on Twitter
intro to PrEP, a thread (primarily for young gays):
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preface: I am not a medical professional, but after seeing how some of my younger gay friends weren’t aware of what PrEP is or how it works, I wrote this with a friend living with HIV (who’s getting an MPH degree). we’ve made it as concise as possible:
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• PrEP is a type of drug (pre-exposure prophylaxis) taken daily to help prevent contracting HIV
• the most common brand is Truvada (made by Gilead), although Descovy (also Gilead) was recently approved as PrEP
• you need to take it every day for a week before it's effective
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• the most common brand is Truvada (made by Gilead), although Descovy (also Gilead) was recently approved as PrEP
• you need to take it every day for a week before it's effective
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• PrEP only protects you against HIV, and nothing else. however, most other STDs/STIs are curable, whereas HIV is not (at this time)
• HIV, if left untreated, develops into AIDS, which weakens your immune system to the point a common cold can kill you
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• HIV, if left untreated, develops into AIDS, which weakens your immune system to the point a common cold can kill you
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• to get PrEP, talk with your doctor—they'll most likely refer you to a disease specialist who will be able to prescribe it
• if you don't have insurance that covers it or can't afford it otherwise, Gilead offers a copay card that greatly offsets the cost (link at the end)
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• if you don't have insurance that covers it or can't afford it otherwise, Gilead offers a copay card that greatly offsets the cost (link at the end)
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• regardless, the cost of PrEP is significantly less than the cost of HIV meds (I pay $30/mo for PrEP under my insurance, my friend pays $150/mo for HIV meds with his insurance; without insurance, HIV meds can be $3000+/month)
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• people living with HIV can be treated to the point that they cannot pass HIV onto anyone else (called undetectable; U=U means "undetectable = untransmittable"), but they need to monitor their status to stay undetectable
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• whether or not you're on PrEP, as long as you're sexually active, you should know your status and get tested at least once every three months
• check out this site to find PrEP in your area: https://www.greaterthan.org/get-prep/
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• check out this site to find PrEP in your area: https://www.greaterthan.org/get-prep/
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• if your insurance doesn't cover PrEP or you can't afford it otherwise: https://www.gileadadvancingaccess.com/copay-coupon-card
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• if you’d like to talk with someone about what living with HIV is like, you can hit up my friend Caleb (on IG @ the_positiveotter), he’s very open about everything!
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