July 26, 2013 | Health Matters

Michael Lucas advocates Truvada to prevent HIV

In an op-ed piece published at Out.com, Michael Lucas explains why he takes Truvada to protect himself from getting HIV. Truvada, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is a blue pill that combines two antiretroviral drugs - tenofovir and emtricitabine - that is used for the treatment of HIV. Last year the drug was approved by the FDA for use in HIV negative individuals to help prevent HIV infection. This is known as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP.  Studies show that - provided the pill is taken every day - Truvada significantly reduces the chance of contracting HIV.

Truvada costs about $1000 a month, which puts it out of the reach of most people, particularly young gay men, whose HIV infection rates have been going up as treatment regimens have improved. 

Health officials stress that condoms should still be used when one is on Truvada, a recommendation that will surely be ignored by many.

Lucas says you can go on and off the drug if you plan on being more sexually active, but it's not like you take a pill a few hours before a  dirty weekend. Someone planning on doing this would have to go on the pill at the very least a week before the planned exposure and remain on it for weeks after. Men who borrow a few pills from HIV+ friends are taking big risks, especially if we assume they aren't bothering with condoms. 

Increasingly it seems the choice is to chance it, and if you get HIV, just start taking pills. This is still a misguided attitude, as HIV treatment still very often involves multiple pills with varying side effects.

Now there's PrEP, another pill choice to minimize the risk - but it costs a lot of money.

On the other hand, a pack of condoms costs a few bucks - and there are no side effects.  

 HIV / AIDS - Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention