Oh No! I Missed a Dose… Now What?

by | Aug 14, 2020 | PrEP 101

You’re a busy person. Despite the pandemic, you still have things to do, OR because of the pandemic, your mind is everywhere and elsewhere. Amidst your busy day/thoughts, you realize something HORRIBLE has happened; you forgot to take your PrEP. Whether you take PrEP with your morning coffee or with dinner in the evening, sometimes setting a routine is tough and other things come up. Perhaps you were out of town or at a friend’s house watching their cute lil pug, Romiette, over the weekend and you forgot to pack a few pills with you — and with Romiette’s puppy anxiety, you couldn’t just leave her! What now?

Well, there is some good news for you! You can take PrEP as soon as you remember to and as soon as you can.

What NOT to do

First off, don’t panic. Missing a dose here and there is not going to be the end of the world, and you can take PrEP once you remember. Don’t skip the dose if you didn’t take it at the scheduled time either, just take it when you remember. With anal sex, PrEP maintains 96% efficacy if taken four times/week. With vaginal sex, that efficacy is not maintained because PrEP concentrates easier in the anal tissue than in vaginal tissue.

What TO do

Take it.
Try to set a schedule or a timer. If you have a busy schedule, try to pack it with your laptop bag, work materials, or separate them into a pill container (like those nifty ones with the days of the week on them).

If you have friends also on PrEP, do a call-up or text reminder to get everyone on track.

Start making and keeping PrEP a part of your routine and take it with breakfast, lunch at work (discretely if need be), with dinner in the evening, or with your nightcap if you’re a wine and dine kinda fine (both Truvada and Descovy for PrEP are safe to take while drinking alcohol).

Get PrEP for FREE (or really cheap)

Honestly, missing a dose is not the end of protection, but taking it consistently does mean more consistent protection, especially depending on the type of sex you have. PrEP works while it is in your body, but if it ain’t in your body, it ain’t workin’. Protection doesn’t end when you forget one or two doses. The best thing to do is to take it when you can and try to remember to take it in the future.

Oh, yeah! Another thing; don’t wait until you are down to one or three doses to get your refill, either! Call your provider or the pharmacy so you can be ready with the next bottle because as the late, great Chi Chi DeVayne says: “If you stay ready, you ain’t gotta get ready!” ??

Have more PrEP questions?

This sweet, intelligent blogger is open to chat. Give him a call at (216-714-2223) or fill out the form next to this blog.

Ask for help connecting to a doctor for PrEP.

Fiona Allan, University Hospitals
Call 216.286.7737
AKeem Rollins, MetroHealth
Call or Text 216.714.2223

Email AKeem at Metro for PrEP

Email Fiona at UH for PrEP