[Question #8293] PEP Question

46 months ago

About four days ago I was with a sex worker where I knowingly received oral sex without a condom and am unsure of whatever else happened due to being intoxication although I don’t recall more happening.

2 days following the above, I had my second Pfizer Covid Vaccine but also separately decided to commence PEP that afternoon roughly 63-65 hours after the incident.

The prescribing doctor had me take a double dose of PEP tablets around 6pm and then told me to take the next one the following morning being today (which is different to other statements on PEP but have followed the doctors advice).

This morning I woke with a fever (around 72 -75) hours after the incident which has stayed through most of the day but is slowly reducing .

Does PEP work in a manner that would stop or lessen the symptoms of seroconversion even if it was to fail?

I.e. could it be the PEP reducing the fever or would PEP have no effect on symptoms with seroconversion if seroconversion symptoms had commenced.

Could a vaccine increase the pace HIV is replicated in the body or would this have no effect? There may be no data on this item but thought I’d ask anyway.

Is a fever 72-75 hours after an incident too soon for symptoms of seroconversion?

I understand that statistically the fever would be related to the second pfizer vaccination but people still win the lotto every year regardless of the odds which is where my anxious mind tends to lead me.

46 months ago

Hi,

Can I remove the question below? I was trying to get some peace of mind in terms of the fever but understand any answer won't change the outcome at this stage.

i.e. if I have contracted HIV, I've contracted HIV or if I haven't, I haven't but I can't do anything different than wait until PEP ends then test.

Appreciate the work you guys do.

Edward W. Hook M.D.

46 months ago

Welcome to our forum. Thank you for your questions. I’ll be happy to comment. The onset of a fever 72 to 75 hours following and encounter it’s too soon to be a manifestation of recently acquired HIV (the ARS). Further, if indeed you only received oral sex, this is a virtually no risk event as no one has ever been proven to have acquired HIV from receipt of oral sex. In addition, the absence of other symptoms such as severe sore throat or severe muscle and joint aches also rules against your fever being related to the ARS. I would look for other causes.

There are no data to suggest that taking postexposure prophylaxis would in anyway moderate or reduce the effects of the ARS, where a person to fail PEP.

I hope this information is helpful. I’m not sure I follow your second request. Would you like me to close this thread? EWH

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46 months ago

Mild fever is one of the common side effects associated with the second pfizer covid vaccine so hope it relates to this and nothing else. Wrote that to assure myself and not educate anyone here.

Appreciate the response and the works you guys do here but this thread can be closed.

If it is hiv, it’s hiv, if it’s not it’s not and guessing by symptoms isn’t a good way of knowing.

Thanks kindly

Edward W. Hook M.D.

46 months ago

I agree with your perspective. I’m also glad you’re vaccinated against COVID-19. Just as an FYI, if this were HIV ( I am confident it is not), a test would almost certainly be positive at this time. The ARS results from the interaction of HIV antigens and antibodies. Hence, the test is typically positive during the ARS. EWH ---