Prevention medicines
PrEP: prevention before exposure
PrEP is medicine for people without HIV that greatly reduces the chance of getting HIV when taken as prescribed.
Read guide →PREVENTION · 2 GUIDES
Prevention medicines
Learn the difference between prevention before and after a possible exposure.
FAST FACTS
Prevention medicines: key facts
A quick, accurate orientation before you open a guide.
PrEP
Taken before exposure, it greatly lowers the chance of getting HIV.
72h
PEP is emergency prevention and must start within 72 hours.
U=U
Treatment with an undetectable viral load prevents sexual transmission.
VISUAL SUMMARY
A path through Prevention medicines
Start with the guide that matches your question. The sequence is flexible—you can enter at any point.
PrEP: prevention before exposure
PrEP is medicine for people without HIV that greatly reduces the chance of getting HIV when taken as prescribed.
PEP: urgent prevention after exposure
PEP is emergency medicine that must be started within 72 hours after a possible HIV exposure—the sooner, the better.
This visual is a guide to the page—not a personal diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
Prevention medicines
PEP: urgent prevention after exposure
PEP is emergency medicine that must be started within 72 hours after a possible HIV exposure—the sooner, the better.
Read guide →DETAILED GUIDE
A quick guide to Prevention medicines
What Prevention medicines means for you
Learn the difference between prevention before and after a possible exposure. That short answer is the place to begin; what matters next is how it fits your situation—your reason for reading, the timing of any event, and the support you can reach. Treat this guide as a map: it can help you prepare and ask better questions, while a qualified health professional applies the details to you.
The essentials for Prevention medicines
Prevention combines tools: PrEP before a possible exposure, PEP as an emergency within 72 hours, condoms with compatible lubricant, sterile injection equipment, and testing. Someone on treatment with an undetectable viral load does not pass HIV on through sex (U=U). Each option has its own follow-up, and a clinician can help combine them—one method does not have to replace the others.
Turn it into one next step
You do not need perfect medical words. Note any relevant dates, test names, or medicines, then choose one manageable action. For this page, a useful next step is read prep: prevention before exposure—a suggestion, not a rule. If it feels too big, make it smaller: save a phone number, check opening hours, or tell someone you trust. The plan can change as a result or new information arrives.