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.

If you are HIV negative and take PrEP properly, you will have almost 100% protection against HIV.

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

PrEP on the NHS

  • Scotland – PrEP is provided on the NHS throughout Scotland
  • Wales – PrEP is available from all NHS genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics as part of a 3-year trial called PrEPARED Wales
  • England – PrEP will be available on the NHS to 10,000 people, being enrolled now, as part of the PrEP IMPACT trial
  • Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland have started offering PrEP through a pilot.

Before starting PrEP

You must be HIV negative.

You will need to visit your local sexual health clinic and take an HIV test on the day you start PrEP or just before. You should have another test after taking PrEP for 4 weeks.

If you have used an HIV self test, you’ll still need to visit your local clinic to get the result confirmed.

You should also:

  • get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
  • get vaccinated to protect you from hepatitis A and B, and HPV if possible.

How do I get PrEP

When you are sure you are HIV negative, order PrEP from any of our tried, tested and reliable sellers.

Delivery times are usually given in working days or business days, which do not include weekends. So, remember to add in Saturday and Sunday when you work out when your PrEP is due to arrive.

If paying in US dollars, consider buying on a week day. Banks fix exchange rates over the weekend to protect themselves, so rates will always be more unfavourable over a weekend.

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 is the option that has been tested most in trials.

How you take PrEP is your choice.