Does Prep cause any side effects?

For most people, PrEP doesn’t cause any major side effects but rather is well tolerated.

However, Like any medication, PrEP can cause side effects.

In one of the most famous Prep clinical trials, iPrEx side effects have been assessed.

Among the side effects:

Headaches- A slightly higher percentage of headache cases was observed in the Prep group (4.5%) compared to placebo (3.3%)

Weight loss – Weight loss was considered if more than 5 percent of weight was lost. A slightly higher percentage of Weight loss cases was observed in the Prep group (2.2%) compared to placebo (1.1%)

Nausea- A slightly higher percentage of Nausea cases was observed in the Prep group (9%) compared to placebo (5%), this difference disappeared after the first month.

Creatinine- prep caused a mild increase in blood creatinine in 0.3% of the population without any major kidney side effects on later follow up, furthermore in many cases later this increase disappeared.

For more information regarding side effects read our relevant section on our PrEP guide.