For an HIV-negative person who, in the last 72 hours had been:
1.
Had been exposed to blood or potentially infectious fluids (for example, if the condom broke, or had
unprotected anal or vaginal sex) from:
-
a person in a
high risk group (commercial sex worker, IV drug user, men who have sex with
men/bisexual men)
2. Had shared contaminated
needles and syringes
These are all examples of high risk exposure and PEP is recommended to prevent
getting HIV and AIDS.
Talk to a doctor about PEP right away.
PEP must be started within 72 hours after a possible exposure. The sooner you start PEP, the better; every hour counts.Starting PEP as soon as possible after a potential HIV exposure is important. Research has shown that PEP has little or no effect in preventing HIV infection if it is started later than 72 hours after HIV exposure.
PEP is taken orally and comprises three different anti-retroviral drugs.
If you’re prescribed PEP, you’ll need to take it once daily for 28 days. Compliance to treatment is very important to ensure treatment is effective.
Cross Street Medical Clinic offers the latest PEP drug combination (based on CDC guidelines, 2016).
Current recommended drugs (United States Center of Disease Control Guidelines, 2016) for use as PEP have minimal risk of serious side effects.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and fatigue were the most commonly reported side effects. The side effects are temporary in nature.
PEP should be used only in emergency situations.
PEP is not the right choice for people who may be exposed to HIV frequently—for example, if you often have sex without a condom with a partner who is HIV-positive or have high risk sex regularly.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (
PrEP) is when people at high risk for HIV take antiretroviral drugs daily to lower their chances of getting HIV.
If you want to reduce your risk of HIV infection, speak to our doctors about PrEP.
Cross Street Medical Clinic is
approved to do HIV Testing by the Ministry of Health Singapore. We offer PEP. Speak to our doctors today. Female doctors are available by appointment. We ensure patient privacy and confidentiality for all discussions, tests and treatments.