WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PEP?

Taking PEP

Taking PEP can be divided into three stages: Contact, Treatment and Post-treatment.

Contact

When you first go to the Outpatient Clinic or Emergency Department and ask for PEP:

• You will be seen and assessed by a registry nurse to determine the risk
• If the nurse thinks you should be on PEP you will be given a starter pack of enough anti-HIV medications for the first seven days.
• You will be tested for HIV*
• You will also be tested for STI's (Sexually Transmitted Infections: find out more Check it out)
• You will be reminded to make a further appointment to see a doctor. This should be done within 5 days.

* HIV infection takes weeks to show up in an HIV test, so this test will be taken to see if you already had HIV before the incident that made you ask for PEP.

Treatment

In the month that you are on PEP:

• You will have further appointments with a doctor
• You will get the results of the initial HIV test
• The doctor will determine the rest of your PEP treatment plan
• You will be given the full course of PEP and instructions for taking it
• You will receive counselling on safe sex and to prepare you for the possibility of receiving an HIV positive test result.

Post-treatment

After you have completed the treatment:

• You will have another HIV test
• You will have more STI tests
  
• You will return in 3 months for the results of these tests and be tested again for HIV and STI's
• You will receive counselling on safe sex and to prepare you for the possibility of receiving an HIV positive result