Sonoma County Home | Site Map | Contact Us | Search

HIV Services: Prevention After Exposure

Have you recently been exposed to HIV?

There is a way to reduce your chances of getting HIV. If taken soon after being exposed, medication may keep you from getting HIV.

Do you need nPEP?

Not everyone will need to take medication but everyone exposed to HIV will be offered testing and counseling. Every nPEP caller will speak with our nurse to determine their level of risk and their need for medication.

Some of the most risky behaviors are anal sex, vaginal sex, and needle sharing with someone who may have HIV. But there are other risky behaviors, the best way to find out if you have engaged in risky behavior is to call The Center and ask.

If you don't know if the person you had sex with is HIV positive or it is hard to determine how risky the behavior is, calling The Center is always the safest bet. We can help you evaluate your risk.

About the medications.

Not everyone will need medications. For people who are offered medications, they will usually get a combination of two or three meds.

These HIV medications often cause side effects of nausea, fatigue, and diarrhea, however, there are no long-term side effects from the nPEP medications.

The health care team at the Center will help decide what the best course of action is for you.

More than just medication.

Even if you don't get medication, you will still meet with a nurse, get an HIV test, and be offered a follow up HIV test in a few months to make sure you did not contract HIV.

Just remember, your chances of getting HIV are much greater if you already have another STD, so get checked often!

Does nPEP work?

Studies show that people taking anti-HIV medications soon after an exposure had much lower chances of becoming infected compared to those who didn't take the medication.

It is hard to get direct evidence but there is reason to believe that nPEP does lower the risk of HIV.

Different types of exposure are riskier than others and not all exposures require medication.

It may be difficult to determine risk, because many people do not know the status of their exposure source. In San Francisco, for example, one in three men who have sex with men is HIV positive, and one in six people who have injected drugs in the last fifteen years is HIV positive.