Discover why Everett asked his healthcare provider about DESCOVY® (emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg) tablets.
Hi i’m everett i grew up in south philadelphia now i live in atlanta georgia i like to do a lot of things i’m an academic uh so i got a nerdy side and i’m a creative to stay balanced i practice yoga i actually plan to do my teacher training next year i traveled and had some incredible experiences i’ve seen some amazing things i try to live life so that i always
Have that gratitude and joy and so then i want to figure out how do you bring that to other people i’m a public health consultant so i work in hiv prevention communications as a black gay man there are people in my life who are affected by hiv it’s really important to me to to contribute back to my community on this topic love living here it’s definitely home i
Love the black history the vibrant gay culture that atlanta has really been shaped by i didn’t realize how much i needed that support until i moved here it’s incredible to be able to meet other black gay members of the community to create your chosen family when i first got on prep medication and i started talking about it many of my white gay friends had already
Known about it and they were already on it i think it rolled out differently in the black communities i definitely got funny looks from some of my black gay friends who i could tell had not been educated about prep medication early on by sharing i want to educate others like me that there are prep options to help reduce their risk of getting hiv the scoview for
Prep is a once daily prescription medicine for adults and adolescents at risk of hiv it helps lower the chances of getting hiv through sex it’s not for everyone discovery for prep is not for use in people assigned female at birth who are at risk of getting hiv from vaginal sex because its effectiveness has not been studied you must be hiv negative before and while
Taking discovery for prep talk to a health care provider about your risk for hiv and if the scovie for prep is right for you i had been on another prep medication for a few years and i heard about the scoby for prep and after doing some research i brought it up at my annual checkup it was a pretty natural conversation because i see an hiv specialist so they
Discuss the risks and benefits and the potential side effects we decided the switch was right for me i would say the first step is making sure you have the right healthcare professional for you someone you feel comfortable discussing your sexual health and hiv prevention options with i want the black community to see that there are everyday people just like them
Taking discovery for prep it’s not some mystery pill it’s not a secret it’s something that can help prevent hiv in my opinion it should be the right of underserved communities to have access to health care including prep medications not just some privilege dyscovia does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections so it’s important to use safer sex practices
And get tested regularly you must be hiv negative to take discovery for prep so you need to get tested for hiv immediately before and at least every three months while taking it if you think you were exposed to hiv or have flu-like symptoms tell your doctor right away they may check to confirm you are still hiv negative serious side effects can occur including
Kidney problems and kidney failure rare life-threatening side effects include a build-up of lactic acid and liver problems the most common side effect was diarrhea tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take or if you have kidney or liver problems including hepatitis if you have hepatitis b do not stop taking discovery without talking to
Your doctor in my opinion to fight these stigmas against hiv in the black community we need to listen to black people’s stories about hiv prevention and their experiences we need to share those stories the stories aren’t for other people to tell in my experience as a black gay man i didn’t always see myself reflected in opportunities or solutions we need to see
Ourselves represented in the conversation about prep medication so we can know that it can help protect us too from the risk of hiv if you’re interested in learning more about the scoby for prep talk to your healthcare provider you
Transcribed from video
Everett Shares His Story By DESCOVY® (emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg) tablets