If you think you are at risk of getting HIV, ask your health care provider if PrEP is right for you. Along with other prevention methods like condoms, PrEP can offer good protection against HIV if taken every day.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is a way for people who don’t have HIV to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. The pill contains two medicines that are also used to treat HIV. If you take PrEP and are exposed to HIV through sex or injection drug use, these medicines can work to keep the virus from taking hold in your body.
In several studies of PrEP, the risk of getting HIV infection was lower—up to 92% lower—for participants who took the medicines consistently than for those who didn’t take the medicines. PrEP does not work nearly as well if it is not taken daily.