What are the side effects of PrEP?

All medicines have side effects. Although the chance of side effects with PrEP is small, you may experience:

• Headaches
• Tiredness
   
• Digestive problems (nausea, stomach ache, diarrhoea, vomiting)

For most people, these symptoms clear up on their own after a few weeks.

PrEP can sometimes affect the kidneys. We see this mainly in people over the age of fifty. For this reason, we always check your kidney function when you start PrEP, and we check it regularly in groups at increased risk.

People who only take PrEP around the time they have sex may get side effects slightly more often than people who take PrEP every day. This is because you take two tablets at once before sex.

Finally, some people have trouble sleeping while taking PrEP. If this affects you, the simplest solution is to take your PrEP tablets in the morning (if you take PrEP every day).