No wait to see if you go feel sick, and no wait for clinic appointment for next week. PEP must start within 72 hours afta di exposure, and di best na within 24 hours. If your usual clinic no fit see you today, go emergency department for hospital.

PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) na HIV medicine wey you go take for short time afta possible exposure (wen HIV fit don enter your body), to stop di virus make e no settle for your body. You go take am every day for 28 days.

Where you fit go

CDC advise say make you tok to health worker, doctor for emergency room, or urgent care provider immediately. For real life, dis na your options:

  • Emergency department for hospital. Most times na di fastest option for night, for weekend and for holiday.
  • Sexual health clinic. Call dem first and ask weda dem fit see you today for PEP.
  • Urgent care or your own doctor, if dem fit see you today. Call before you go and ask weda dem fit prescribe PEP.

If di exposure happen during sexual assault (rape or any sex wey dem force you do), extra care dey wey you fit get for di same visit. See afta sexual assault.

Wetin to tok

You no need to explain everytin for front desk. Sometin like dis don do: “I get possible HIV exposure like 20 hours ago, and I need PEP.”

Di doctor or nurse go den ask you some private questions. If you open up, e go help dem decide quick:

  • Wen e happen, near di exact hour as you fit remember.
  • Wetin kind contact e be, for example anal sex (sex for nyash/anus) or vaginal sex without condom, condom wey burst, or needle wey una share.
  • Wetin you sabi about di oda person: weda e get HIV, and if e get, weda e dey take treatment.
  • Weda you get belle or you dey give pikin breast milk, or you dey take oda medicine.

Most times dem go do baseline HIV test (di first test wey dem go use compare later). Dem fit also offer you test for oda STIs (sexually transmitted infection, wey be infection wey dey pass through sex).

You fit comot wit di full supply for 28 days, or wit starter pack for few days plus prescription for di rest. If dem give you starter pack, go collect di rest wit di prescription immediately, so di medicine no go finish for your hand.

How to pay for PEP

Di cost depend on where you dey live and your insurance, so ask wen you go for di visit. According to CDC:

  • You fit qualify for PEP medicine wey dey free or wey no cost much.
  • Afta sexual assault, dem fit pay you back some or all di moni wey you spend on medicine and care.
  • Afta exposure for work, workplace insurance or workers’ compensation dey usually pay.
  • If you no fit get insurance cover, your health worker fit apply for free PEP through di medication assistance programs of di companies wey dey make di medicine.

No let moni matter stop you from going. Wen you reach dia, ask about help to pay.

How to take PEP, and side effects

Take PEP exactly as dem prescribe am every day for di full 28 days, around di same time every day. CDC tok say PEP dey safe, but e fit cause side effects like nausea (to dey feel like vomit) for some pipo, and say almost all di time dem fit treat dis side effects and dem no dey put life for danger. If side effects dey worry you, call di clinic instead of to stop di medicine.

How much PEP go help depend on timing. Di calculator assume say PEP wey you start within 24 hours dey reduce di risk by about 90%, within 48 hours by about 80%, and within 72 hours by about 70%, as long as you take every dose.

Follow-up test

You go need HIV test afta di course, even if you dey feel fine. CDC recommend make you test 4 to 6 weeks and 12 weeks afta di exposure. Each time, e advise both lab antigen/antibody test (blood wey dem draw from vein) and NAT (nucleic acid test, wey dey look for di virus itself). If di results negative at 12 weeks, e mean say dis exposure no give you HIV. To know more about timing, see how HIV test correct week by week.

If you get fever, rash, sore throat or swollen glands for di weeks afta di exposure, contact your clinic and ask for HIV test.

How to move to PrEP

PEP na for emergency. CDC tok say e no be di right choice for pipo wey fit dey get HIV exposure many times. If you expect more exposure, ask about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis: HIV medicine wey you dey take before any exposure to protect yourself). CDC guidelines support say you fit move straight from PEP to PrEP without any gap, wit HIV test for di end of di PEP course. Read more for HIV risk wen you dey take PrEP.

Wetin to do now

  1. E still dey within 72 hours? Go now. Go emergency department if no oda place fit see you today.
  2. Tok say you need PEP and wen di exposure happen.
  3. Take di first dose as soon as dem give you and take every dose for 28 days.
  4. Book your follow-up test for 4 to 6 weeks and 12 weeks afta di exposure.
  5. E don pass 72 hours? Dem no dey recommend PEP again. Read wetin to do afta 72 hours.