HIV

Started PEP at around hour 60. Is that too late for it to work?

Possible exposure Friday night, got to a clinic Monday morning, started PEP roughly 60 hours after. They took me seriously and started it but I keep reading 72 hours as if it is a cliff edge and I am close to it.

still_water 3 weeks ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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riverbank9 3 weeks ago

You are inside the window. 72 hours is the outer limit in the guidance, not a point where it suddenly stops working, and 60 is inside it.

It is fair to say sooner is better, which is why services treat it as urgent. But you did get there, and being at hour 60 rather than hour 12 does not mean it will not work.

tinbird 3 weeks ago

The thing to focus on now is finishing it. PEP is a 28 day course and stopping early is the failure mode you actually have control over. Side effects in the first week are common and usually settle. If they do not, go back and say so rather than quietly stopping.

paper_boat 2 weeks ago

They will also book you for follow up testing after the course finishes. Take those appointments, and if this could happen again ask about PrEP at the same visit. The guidance now explicitly covers moving straight from PEP onto PrEP.

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