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HIV Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP)

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is when people at risk for HIV take daily medicine to prevent HIV. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout your body. When taken daily, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV from sex or injection drug use. PrEP is much less effective when it is not taken consistently.

Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken daily. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by at least 74% when taken daily.

Use the preplocator to find a PrEP provider near you. If you cannot find a PrEP provider in your area or have questions about a provider in your area, please contact the HIV.STD.Hepatitis Prevention Coordinator at 701.328.2378 or email Sarah Weninger at t sweninger@nd.gov.

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Frequently Asked Questions About HIV PrEP

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PrEP is for people without HIV who are at risk for getting the virus from sex or injection drug use. The federal guidelines recommend that PrEP be considered for people who are HIV-negative who:

Have had anal or vaginal sex in the past 6 months and:

  • Have a sexual partner with HIV (especially if the partner has an unknown or detectable viral load)
    or
  • Have not consistently used a condom
    or
  • Have been diagnosed with an STD in the past 6 months

PrEP is also recommended for people who inject drugs and

  • have an injection partner with HIV
    or
  • share needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs (for example, cookers).

PrEP should also be considered for people who have been prescribed non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and

  • report continued risk behavior, or
  • have used multiple courses of PEP.

If you have a partner with HIV and are considering getting pregnant, talk to your doctor about PrEP if you’re not already taking it. PrEP may be an option to help protect you and your baby from getting HIV while you try to get pregnant, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.

Because PrEP involves daily medication and regular visits to a health care provider, it may not be right for everyone. And PrEP may cause side effects like nausea in some people, but these generally subside over time. These side effects aren’t life threatening.

PrEP can cause side effects like nausea in some people, but these generally subside over time. No serious side effects have been observed, and these side effects aren’t life threatening. If you are taking PrEP, tell your health care provider about any side effects that are severe or do not go away.

Most insurance plans and state Medicaid programs cover PrEP. Prior authorization may be required.

Free medication program: There are medication assistance programs that provide free PrEP medications to people with no insurance to cover PrEP care. To learn more, call 855-447-8410 or visit https://readysetprep.hiv.gov.

Co-pay assistance program: Income is not a factor in eligibility. More information is available at: https://www.gileadadvancingaccess.com.

You must take PrEP daily for it to work. But there are several reasons people stop taking PrEP. For example,

  • If your risk of getting HIV infection becomes low because of changes in your life, you may want to stop taking PrEP.
  • If you find you don’t want to take a pill every day or often forget to take your pills, other ways of protecting yourself from HIV infection may work better for you.
  • If you have side effects from the medicine that are interfering with your life, or if blood tests show that your body is reacting to PrEP in unsafe ways, your provider may stop prescribing PrEP for you.

You should discuss this question with your health care provider.