Is PEP dangerous when one is HIV-negative?
Nov 07, 2012
I have heard that if you have unprotected sex with someone who is HIV-positive you can be given ARVs called PEP and they help you not to be infected with HIV. Is it not dangerous to take ARVs when you are not yet infected with HIV?
QDear Doctor,
I have heard that if you have unprotected sex with someone who is HIV-positive you can be given ARVs called PEP and they help you not to be infected with HIV. Is it not dangerous to take ARVs when you are not yet infected with HIV?
Secondly, can one use ARVs the same way women use pills to prevent pregnancy, meaning you take them before you are exposed to HIV?
Clare
ADear Clare,
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), is the use of ARVs to protect people exposed to HIV from getting infected. The ARVs, if given early enough, work by blocking the replication of HIV in the body and can prevent the infection from happening.
ARVs given this way in the right doses under the supervision of qualified medical personnel should not be dangerous, though people may experience some side-effects.
Use of ARVs before exposure to HIV, or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP) has also been scientifically found to be protective to people in discordant relationships.
This is where one person is HIV-positive, while the other is negative. This, however, must also be done under the supervision of a qualified medical worker after couple counselling.
ARVs must not be bought across the counter for such use the way family planning pills can be got from pharmacies and drug shops. So, ARVs can be used for prevention purposes, but in order to avoid abusing them, they should be prescribed by qualified medical person.
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Do ARVs also cure cancer?
QDear Doctor,
Do ARVs also cure cancer? My brother who is HIV-positive had swellings on his right leg, and they tested positive for cancer. He was put on ARVs and now two years down the road, they have all disappeared.
Sam
ADear Sam,
There is a cancer known as Kaposi’s sarcoma, which affects the skin and is common among people living with HIV (PLHIV).
This cancer, if discovered early and it is not widespread, often resolves when PLHIV are put on ARVs.
This is because Kaposi’s sarcoma, like opportunistic infections, often flares up when someone’s immune system is suppressed.
That is why when PLHIV who have the cancer are put on ARVs, it sometimes resolves and does not require further treatment.
However, sometimes Kaposi’s sarcoma must be treated using anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapy) in addition to ARVs.
Lastly, serious AIDS-defining illnesses like Kaposi’s sarcoma usually occur in advanced stages of HIV infection, meaning someone has lived with HIV for a long time.
That is why it is important for people to have regular medical check-ups, including screening for HIV and common cancers; such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, cancer of the prostate plus cancer of the breast and cancer of the cervix.