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Acquiring Tenofovir in the UK - can i just use PrEP?

Guwop2

Senior Member
Messages
238
If I approached my GP in the UK and asked for a course of Tenofavir to treat M.E, he would look mock-confused at my request, scratch his head while pretending to look at my notes, then ask whether ive tried ibuprofin for the pain. However, if I walked into a GUM clinic and told them im addicted to barebacking and need to be on PrEP, then id be handed over the goods no questions asked. My question is: can the Tenofovir in PrEP (it's combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine) be used for my needs, or does this combination pose potential risks?

Im EXTREMELY sensitive to all things ingested (food, drink, etc) - LDN produced horrible, long lasting effects (increased PEM sensitivity), accidental digestion of a small amount of hand-sanitizer set me back an entire year (though strangely a 3 month course of Acyclovir had no noticeabl effect (positive or negative) whatsoever.)
 

Forummember9922

Senior Member
Messages
169
FWIW One consideration is that the TAF version of tenofovir has a better safety profile. I'm pretty sure the thing to monitor with tenofovir, or seemingly antivirals in general is kidney, liver, metabolic panel, platelets, maybe iron. Of course, before starting Tenofovir which would be from the ideology of treating EBV, you might want to test for EBV. But the proponents of EBV having a role in CFS suggest it can be a 'smoldering' infection that doesn't necessarily have to be active. Did you have HSV symptoms prompting the trial of Valrex?
 
Last edited:

Guwop2

Senior Member
Messages
238
Did you have HSV symptoms prompting the trial of Valrex?

Apologues for the late response.

I did not have HSV symptoms. I saw a private M.E doctor who was willing to trial me on it to see if it made a difference, which it didn't.

If you do have a 'smouldering' EBV infection, are there treatments for it?
 

cfs since 1998

Senior Member
Messages
635
However, if I walked into a GUM clinic and told them im addicted to barebacking and need to be on PrEP, then id be handed over the goods no questions asked. My question is: can the Tenofovir in PrEP (it's combination of tenofovir and emtricitabine) be used for my needs, or does this combination pose potential risks?
That's the strategy I would use if I couldn't get it more easily another way. From what I can tell it's not anymore risky than tenofovir by itself as emtricitabine seems to have a very good safety profile. Descovy has tenofovir alafenamide which supposedly is more effective against EBV and is safer, thus would be preferable to the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in Truvada.