BY HAYWARD AARON
So it's been four weeks since I've started taking Prep, and I must say it has not been as smooth as I have thought. I was warned there would be side effects, and after taking two pills, I did experience some strange feelings. At first, I wasn't sure if it was coincidental, hell, I'm still not sure, or if they are indeed side effects, but here are the things I experienced shortly after I started ingesting my daily blue pill.
· Headaches--this occurred twice, but has since subsided. I have bad allergies so it could have been sinus/allergy related. Not sure on this one.
· Tiredness--it seemed to be even more difficult for me to get out of bed in the morning. This has since subsided, but I also changed when I take the pill. I'll give details about that later.
· Stomach trouble--now this, I'm sure is a side effect because it has persisted nearly the first two weeks I was on the pill, but has since subsided.
Now when the nurse practitioner gave me the pill, she advised that I take it a night so as to avoid any unpleasantness that could occur from side effects because I would be asleep. However, that resulted in the difficulty of getting up in the morning. I felt very groggy like I had been drinking a little too much the night before.
Now you are suppose to take the pill once a day, but taking it a night was not working. I missed taking the pill twice because I was out very late a few times and taking the pill was the furthest thing from my mind when I would get home. You are instructed that if you miss a pill to immediately take one and then proceed about 24 hours from that time to resume the daily routine. Well after missing the pill twice at night, I started taking them in the morning, and haven't missed a pill in ten days. I knew this would happen, and I warned the nurse practitioner I would forget at night. I suppose it doesn't matter now, as my body seems to have gotten use to the pill as the stomach trouble has subsided. I don't think it really matters anymore what time of day I take it, but I will stick to the morning because it fits into my daily routines of getting ready for the day.
One thing I did learn from the nurse practitioner is that your resistance to contracting HIV enters the 99.99% range after two weeks. I had heard it was thirty days so that is good to hear. I suppose by now my body is definitely in that range. I have another appointment next week to see if Prep has had any negative effects on my kidneys and liver. Until then, ciao!