Friday, March 04, 2016

The One Percenter Speaks Out


The guy I blogged about last week who unfortunately became the first reported case of a daily PrEP user contracting HIV is speaking out. In an interview with POZ Magazine, the 44-year-old man -- who identifies himself only as Joe -- says he stopped using condoms once he was on PReP and became very promiscuous because he finally felt sexually "liberated" and "safe." Although he is obviously not happy about being in the unlucky one percent, he still thinks Truvada is great: "If I had to do it all over again, I would still go on PrEP. I just wouldn’t have sex with that specific person." Read HERE.

2 comments:

LR said...

Will this lead to an even more refined serosorting based on viral resistances so that Trufada retains a 99% efficacy rate? Maybe other possible PreP drugs will start comingetting out of the woodwork.

Mike in Asheville said...

What the fuck does Joe mean, "that person"? "That person" is everyone he had sex with since he is the one who ignored the instructions to use condoms! And now we all know that there is a virus strain resistant to PreP spreading too. As that strain spread, the 99% efficacy is going to decline, and Truveda will come useless.

As someone who was exposed before the NY Times article about "rear cancer" spreading among gay men in 1981 (my viral load and T-cell counts in 1986 indicated exposure in 1980/81), I just don't get healthy HIV- taking the risk. Antiviral drugs poison one's entire body. Decades of use is like decades of heavy drinking. I'm 55 and the longterm side effects of the antivirals lead to heart disease -- in me that means 3 strokes and a heart attack. And now more drugs to fight that; more restrictions, and more ED. While on the outside I look pretty relatively healthy and hale, my doctor tells me that, like an alcoholic my age, on the inside my body is 65.

Its one thing not knowing whats what in 1980/81, but to me, its just crazy and irresponsible risking one's one health and spreading new strains. Viruses are living organism like every other organism, it is going to fight to stay alive and, as it replicate so easily, new strains will always be figuring out how to overcome its obstacles. I just don't get taking the risks when a fucking condom is all it takes.

Just Google cardiovascular disease and hiv/aids, maybe that will scare the sense into common sense.