Phone: 1.833.WE.R.KIND (1.833.937.5463)

What is PrEP?

PrEP is a daily pill for HIV prevention. When taken daily PrEP can help prevent HIV by 99%. Kind Clinic's PrEP patients receive routine HIV/STI testing and treatment for free. Book an appointment today and come see us!

How can I get PrEP? Come to Kind Clinic!

If you think PrEP is right for you, you can make an appointment with Kind Clinic. Our services are provided at no cost to you and we provide PrEP access at low to no cost.

Once PrEP is prescribed to you, you’ll need to have regular HIV/STI testing as well as return visits with our clinical team in order to receive prescription refills. Our clinical staff will keep close track of any side effects, which are typically minor and not experienced by most PrEP users.

Whether you have insurance or not our Patient Advocates do all the “crazy-making” work for you by linking you to the appropriate financial assistance program/s based on your individual circumstances. 

PrEP should be taken daily. Remember, PrEP does not protect against STIs like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis. Condoms are recommended to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

If you have questions about PrEP, contact our friendly staff at 833.WE.R.KIND (1-833-937-5463) or read more about PrEP below.

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is the newest tool in HIV prevention. It’s a prescription medicine that, when taken every day, significantly reduces your chances of getting HIV by blocking the virus.

PrEP does not protect against sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea or syphilis, so you should continue using condoms to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

Is PrEP for me?

If you are HIV-negative and think you might be more susceptible to getting HIV, taking PrEP can give you peace of mind and empower you to have the sex that makes you happy.

You might be more susceptible to contracting HIV if:

  • You have more than one sex partner.
  • You do not regularly use condoms.
  • You’re in an ongoing relationship with someone who has HIV.
  • You’re not sure of your sex or needle-sharing partners HIV status.
  • You or your sex partner have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the past six months.
  • You have injected drugs in the past six months and have shared needles.
  • Your sexual partner has injected drugs in the past six months.

How does PrEP work?

PrEP works to prevent HIV by interfering with HIVs ability to copy itself in your body after exposure. This prevents the virus from establishing an infection.

When taken every day, PrEP has shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are more susceptible to contracting the virus by 99%. Though the benefit of taking PrEP still exists, it is less effective if not taken every day. PrEP can be more effective if combined with other ways to prevent HIV infection, like using condoms and drug abuse treatment.

Now Prep is even easier!

Getting your quarterly HIV/STI testing in order to continue your PrEP prescription is now easier than ever! Instead of having to come into one of our clinic locations to receive your testing and bloodwork, you have a couple of convenient options: 

Come see us! Give us a call to schedule an appointment for your quarterly testing at one of our clinic locations, or utilize our walk-in testing hours.  Once we receive your results, we will release your quarterly PrEP prescription.  

Visit our lab partner, Quest, in the community. Cut down on driving and maximize convenience by visiting any Quest Diagnostics location. At your follow-up visit, we will put in lab orders for Quest.  Please note that Quest will be able to provide the required bloodwork but are not able to perform swab STI testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea, so if you would like to include those in your STI testing, you may choose to utilize another option. Once we receive the results from Quest, we will release your quarterly PrEP prescription. 

Get HIV/STI testing elsewhere in the community. Once you receive your results, just upload them to your Athena patient portal. If you are tested with another community organization or by your primary care provider, just upload your results, and be sure that the document includes your name, date of birth, collection date, and results. Once we review the results, we will release your quarterly PrEP prescription.  

 

FAQs

PrEP typically takes 7 days to provide full protection for anal sex and 20 days for vaginal/front hole sex. It’s important to use condoms during those times to prevent HIV transmission.

Most PrEP users don’t experience side effects. In your first few weeks of taking PrEP, you might experience minor symptoms such as fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, and weight loss. These side effects should go away on their own.

A small number of PrEP users might be at increased risk for kidney disease. While you’re taking PrEP, your doctor will monitor your kidney function with routine blood tests every three months.

Using condoms is a personal choice made between you and your sex partners. PrEP only protects against HIV so condoms can help you prevent things that PrEP can’t—like pregnancy, or STIs.

No. PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) can only prevent HIV when taken consistently BEFORE exposure. PrEP cannot be started as a method of treatment AFTER an event of HIV exposure (such as sex without a condom, needle-sharing drug use, or sexual assault).

PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) is the 28-day treatment regimen recommended for people who’ve been exposed to HIV. If you think you have been exposed to HIV, it is important that you start taking PEP as soon as possible. PEP is only effective if taken within 72 hours of possible HIV exposure.

If you are exposed to HIV during a weekend, or you cannot make an appointment for the next day with your primary care doctor, go to an emergency room for immediate treatment. Do not wait more than 36 hours to start PEP treatment.

If you are currently taking PEP, talk to your doctor before starting PrEP. Blood testing and a short wait time are required to make sure you are HIV-negative after finishing a PEP regimen.

To be effective at preventing HIV, PrEP must be taken every day as prescribed by your doctor. If you miss one dose, that’s okay. Take your next dose as planned. If you miss two or three doses while you’re sexually active, or if you don’t take PrEP as prescribed, check in with your doctor to make sure that you’re still HIV-negative. You can restart your PrEP routine after you get a new negative HIV test.

Data analysis from the iPrEx study found PrEP to be effective:

  • For people who take 7 PrEP pills per week, their estimated level of protection is 99%.
  • For people who take 4 PrEP pills per week, their estimated level of protection is 96%.
  • For people who take 2 PrEP pills per week, their estimated level of protection is 76%.

If your primary care doctor is unfamiliar with PrEP, call Kind Clinic at 512-853-9547. Kind Clinic can help you find PrEP services, so you may continue seeing your primary doctor for the rest of your health needs.

If you want your primary care doctor to handle your PrEP services, our physicians can contact your doctor on your behalf to talk about what PrEP is, and how it might be beneficial to you.

No, PrEP is not a vaccine. A vaccine provides immunity against an illness for a long period of time with no daily upkeep.

PrEP is a daily pill that, when taken as prescribed, greatly reduces your risk of getting HIV. PrEP does not provide immunity against HIV; as soon as you stop taking PrEP, you lose protection against the HIV virus. PrEP must be taken every day for optimal protection against HIV.

Yes. PrEP is one of several recommended options available to prevent the transmission of HIV. Talk to your primary care doctor for more information on the options available to you.

PrEP is covered by Medicaid and most insurance programs. Co-pay assistance programs are available. Call Kind Clinic at 512-853-9547 for more information about co-pay assistance.

If taken correctly and consistently, PrEP is 92%–99% effective in reducing your risk for HIV.

PrEP typically takes 7 to provide full protection for anal sex and 20 days for vagina/front hole sex. It’s important to use condoms during those times to prevent HIV transmission.

No. We recognize that people go in and out of “seasons of risk,” where there are certain times it makes sense to take PrEP, and then other times where it doesn’t make sense to take PrEP.

For example, if you start taking PrEP because you are sexually active with multiple partners who are HIV-positive and HIV-negative, and later you find yourself in a relationship where you and an HIV-negative partner are committed to having sex with only each other, then continuing to take PrEP might not make a whole lot of sense for you.

Or maybe you start PrEP when you are in a relationship, then that relationship ends and you have no sexual partner for the next six months; then it might not make sense to take PrEP.

Or, more simply, maybe you decide to use other options to reduce your risk for getting infected with HIV and PrEP doesn’t make the most sense now.

With proper guidance, people can safely start and stop taking PrEP. Think of PrEP as an HIV prevention option where HIV-negative individuals take a pill to prevent HIV infection for the “season” when they are most susceptible for being exposed to HIV.

If you feel your risk for HIV has changed recently and it doesn’t make sense for you to take PrEP anymore, then talk to your doctor or our staff about discontinuing PrEP. If you’re just experiencing a temporary “lull” in your sex life lasting less than a month or two and expect to be sexually active again in the near future, it may not be advisable to discontinue PrEP. Let’s talk.

In most cases PrEP has not shown to interact with other medications. Talk to your doctor about any other specific medications you are taking.

 

Kind Clinic offers sexual health services in a safe and supportive environment regardless of race, creed, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or ability to pay.

Founded in 2015 by community activists and volunteers, Kind Clinic is a national leader in innovative sexual health care that offers patients access to HIV prevention medication known as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), HIV testing and care, STI testing & treatment, and gender-affirming care in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.

Kind Clinic is a program of Texas Health Action, a 501(c)(3) community informed non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to culturally affirming, quality health services in a safe and supportive environment with an expertise in serving LGBTQIA+ people and people impacted by HIV.

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