The health insurance companies reimburse since the beginning of September, the cost of medicines to protect against infection with HIV. Who should you take? And what risks they pose? The most important questions and answers in an Overview.
How does the so-called pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep)?
In the treatment of negative people swallow the HIV medicines that prevent the HIV Virus from replicating itself. A man then comes with the pathogens in contact, protects the Mediterranean against infection. It is recommended to take typically the medication daily. But it is also possible to swallow you, in consultation with the doctor to a certain period of time – for instance, around a holiday.
How well does the agent protect from infection?
The HIV-prophylaxis with drugs is approved for 2016 in the EU and well studied. Consistently, the drugs of the German AIDS protect taken help, according to this well before an infection as a condom. In contrast to rubber, the tablets, however, have a decisive disadvantage: they do not keep their users from other sexually transmitted diseases.
Who gets the cost of medicines is refunded?
The medicines only for people, who have particularly exposed to the risk of infection. You are also get the cost of the statutory health insurance funds refunded. A doctor must prescribe the drug, familiar with the treatment of HIV patients and of pre-exposure prophylaxis.
He determined in a consultation, how high is the risk of patients becoming infected with HIV. The German-Austrian guidelines, according to the drug-HIV-prophylaxis is useful for:
- Gay men or Transgender people who have had anal within the past few months, Sex without a condom and/or expected in the next few months to have anal sex without a condom will have.
- Gay men or Transgender people who have been infected in the past year with a sexually transmitted disease.
- People whose Partner is HIV-positive, and wherein the amount of the virus could not be reduced in the blood for months extremely. In the case of a successful HIV therapy, the virus is no longer detectable, the Affected are not contagious.
- People who have Sex without a condom with a Partner, in the case of the undiagnosed HIV-infection is likely.
- People who inject drugs and no sterile injection best corner.
Prescribe the doctor, the agent, patients only have to pay the usual prescription charge.
This applies also for the Insured in the private health insurance companies?
No, this applies only for statutory health insured. The private insurance companies have their own regulations. It is advisable there to ask.
You can get the funds himself?
Yes. If the doctor can not prescribe the means at the expense of the funds, it can issue a private prescription. The costs are around € 1.60 per tablet, per day. “The importance of a good medical consultation, preparation and monitoring of the Prep are in any case”, writes the German AIDS help. Of self-try, for example, with funds from abroad, is strongly discouraged.
So to exclude before the beginning of the therapy, for example, important that the Person is infected with HIV. In the case of an infection, the amount of the active ingredients is not enough, the virus completely suppress. Then there is the risk that the remaining pathogens develop resistance to the drugs. It is also important to exclude the possibility that Hepatitis B is infectious. This can worsen if the medicines are discontinued.
What are the possible side effects of the therapy?
The drugs are considered to be well-tolerated, for some it can, however, start to fatigue, Nausea, diarrhea, headache, abdominal or joint pain. In addition, the agent may lower bone density slightly, and the performance of the kidneys decrease. For this reason, should be investigated prior to taking the kidney values.
What checks are carried out during therapy?
Who gets prescribed a Prep, must every three months to Check, for which he receives a new recipe. Parallel is tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases as well as renal function were examined.