Can you get tested while on PEP?
Can you get tested while on PEP?
After a course of PEP you need to wait 28 days before testing for HIV. This is because PEP can delay infection. During the time on PEP, the meds might be keeping your viral load undetectable.
Can I drink alcohol while taking PEP?
You may drink moderate amounts of alcohol (within normal recommended safe limits) while taking this medication. If you usually take multivitamins, calcium tablets or treatment for indigestion, please discuss this with the Doctor or Nurse as they may affect how well the Raltegravir is absorbed.
Is it safe to take RNA PCR while on PEP?
HIV RNA PCR (viral load) testing is generally not recommended for HIV diagnosis and very specifically not recommended while on PEP! PEP consists of antiretroviral drugs, the same drugs used to treat HIV infection. If you were HIV infected from your bout of accidental stripper sex, taking PEP could drive your HIV viral load to undetectable levels.
How long after PEP can you test for HIV?
Next, HIV DNA PCR testing is not FDA approved for HIV diagnosis. Consequently you can’t rely on this. The guidelines for post-PEP HIV diagnostic testing recommend HIV-antibody tests at six weeks, three months and six months from the date of exposure.
Can a p24 antigen test be used for Pep?
Furthermore, there is very limited data on the use of P24 antigen tests (including Combo/Duo tests) and viral load testing for diagnostic purposes in patient who have or undergoing PEP. In fact, studies on monkeys (and more limited studies on humans) have shown positive viral load tests in individuals who were subsequently found not to be infected.
Can you use DNA PCR to diagnose HIV?
Consequently, if you were attempting to use the two HIV RNA PCR tests you took during your 28-day course of PEP to diagnose HIV disease, you could have “false negative” results. Next, HIV DNA PCR testing is not FDA approved for HIV diagnosis. Consequently you can’t rely on this.
HIV RNA PCR (viral load) testing is generally not recommended for HIV diagnosis and very specifically not recommended while on PEP! PEP consists of antiretroviral drugs, the same drugs used to treat HIV infection. If you were HIV infected from your bout of accidental stripper sex, taking PEP could drive your HIV viral load to undetectable levels.
How long should you take PEP after exposure?
PEP should be taken for 28 days. It is important to take all the doses, at the right time and in the right way, to give PEP the best chance of working. You might be given an additional two days’ drugs if you have been at risk of exposure in the last 48 hours of the course of PEP.
Where can I get post exposure prophylaxis ( PEP )?
PEP is available from sexual health clinics and accident & emergency departments. Post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, is a method of preventing HIV infection. It involves using a four-week course of the drugs used to treat HIV, taken very soon after a person may have been exposed to the virus.
Furthermore, there is very limited data on the use of P24 antigen tests (including Combo/Duo tests) and viral load testing for diagnostic purposes in patient who have or undergoing PEP. In fact, studies on monkeys (and more limited studies on humans) have shown positive viral load tests in individuals who were subsequently found not to be infected.