Who needs PrEP?

Anyone who:

  • Is HIV negative.
  • Has sex in a variety of situations where condoms are not easily or always used.
  • Wants to protect themselves from HIV.

PrEP is almost 100% effective at stopping HIV when taken as directed.

If you are HIV positive, PrEP is not suitable for you. You need antiretroviral treatment.

Free PrEP on the NHS

  • Free PrEP is currently only available from sexual health clinics. You will not be able to get it from your GP or a community pharmacy at present.
  • To obtain free PrEP, please contact your local or usual sexual health clinic(s) who will be able to assist you.

Before starting PrEP

You must be HIV negative.

Ideally, you should visit a sexual health clinic for a full STI screening, including an HIV test and a kidney function blood test before starting PrEP.

If you’ve had a recent risk of exposure to HIV, you might need to repeat the HIV test again in six weeks.

If you have used a home HIV self-test, you will still need to have an HIV test which is conducted in a lab.

While at your clinic, ask about getting vaccinations. You might be eligible for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or HPV vaccinations. They are free and relatively painless.

How do I buy PrEP

If you cannot access free or subsidised PrEP from a health service you can buy it privately.

It’s still important to have your baseline blood tests for HIV and kidney function and to have regular HIV and STI monitoring every 3 months.

There are different options available to you depending on where you are located. If ordering PrEP online from ‘overseas sellers’ remember:

  • Delivery times are usually given in working days, which do not included weekends. Add in Saturday and Sunday when you work out when your PrEP is due to arrive.
  • Try to place an order at least one month before you need it, to allow for unexpected delivery delays.
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    How do I take PrEP

    • Daily PrEP. You take 1 pill every day.
    • ‘On Demand’ PrEP, also called event based dosing (EBD). You take a set amount of PrEP pills before and after a planned sexual event.
    • 4 pills per week. You might hear this called ‘Ts and Ss’, which refers to Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
    • Holiday PrEP. You take a set amount of PrEP before and after a period when you expect to be sexually active.

    Daily PrEP covers everyone (all genders and all types of sex). Daily PrEP is the most used dosing option.

    How you take PrEP is your choice.