Of the drugs and supplements that interact with PrEP, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are the most commonly used and should be avoided if possible.

These are usually found in pain-relief medication, so remember the following:

Take

Don’t take regularly (if possible):

The above-listed medications are all NSAIDs and can cause kidney damage if taken in high amounts or for long periods. When combined with PrEP, regular use of NSAIDs increases the risk of kidney damage from both medications.

PrEP is considered safe for those who use recreational drugs or share drug injection equipment. Canada’s PrEP guidelines recommend PrEP for these individuals.

Studies demonstrate that PrEP does work to prevent HIV for people who inject drugs when adherence is high. Although the vast majority of PrEP studies have looked at preventing sexual HIV transmission, one major PrEP study was done with people who inject drugs. The Bangkok Tenofovir Study found an 84% reduced risk of getting HIV among people who injected drugs and were highly adherent to daily PrEP. Although this level of protection is not as high as some other PrEP studies, one possible explanation is that it only considered one PrEP component, TDF (rather than TDF + FTC), which is not the standard of care for oral PrEP.

It is important to note that combination prevention, using multiple HIV prevention strategies simultaneously, can decrease one’s risk of getting HIV. So, PrEP, condoms, HIV treatment, STI testing, needle distribution programs, and other harm reduction methods can provide a more effective and complete prevention strategy.