Truvada is a daily medication prescribed to prevent HIV, it is:
- 99% effective at reducing HIV risk
- Free for over 90% of Canadians
What is Truvada for PrEP?
Truvada for PrEP is a pill prescribed to adults and adolescents at risk of contracting HIV. If taken correctly, Truvada lessens the chance of contracting HIV during sex by more than 99%.
What are the side effects of Truvada?
Less than 10% of people experience side effects with Truvada for PrEP including:
- nausea, headaches, diarrhea, and vomiting.
For those that do, symptoms only last a short while while their body gets used to the drug, and then they subside. In a small number of people, PrEP has resulted in a decrease in kidney, liver, and bone health. Descovy, another PrEP medication (99% effective as well) is an option for patients with pre-existing kidney, liver, or bone health issues.
If you’re experiencing persistent symptoms after two to three weeks, contact your healthcare provider.
Daily PrEP Dosing
- Take one pill by mouth at the same time each day. Can be taken with or without food.
- If you miss a dose, take the tablet as soon as you remember. If it is less than 12 hours till your next dose, wait until next dose. Do not double dose.
PrEP On-Demand (PrOD)
- PrEP can also be taken on-demand. This is where you take two pills 2-24 hours before sex, one pill 24 hours after this dose, and another pill 24 hours later.
- If you have sex again, you should keep adding doses at 24 hour intervals. You need to continue for two days after the last time you had sex.
- PrOD is only studied in cis men and trans women, and is only confirmed to provide protection for anal sex. You should not use PrOD if you have a vagina and have vaginal sex.
- To learn more about PrOD, read our article here.
Important Information:
- Taking PrEP as prescribed gives 99% protection, this decreases if not taken as directed.
- Time to protection for daily PrEP: seven days to achieve protective levels in anal tissue/for anal sex. This means it takes one week of daily PrEP for you to become protected against HIV. While you are in this waiting period, you can use condoms for HIV prevention.
- PrEP does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) other than HIV and has no contraceptive effect. You can use condoms to prevent STIs and pregnancy alongside PrEP.
- We recommend adequate calcium and vitamin D intake while on PrEP. Health Canada recommends 1000 mg/day dietary intake of calcium per day and 600 IU vitamin D per day in most adults. Regular exercise is encouraged for maintenance of bone health.
- We suggest using NSAIDs (e.g. Ibuprofen or Alieve, Tylenol is not an NSAID) sparingly while on Truvada
- If you plan on stopping PrEP, please indicate this in your portal for instructions and safety information.