Truvada?

[TailPipe]

Truvada isn't good for the liver. If you only use it from time to time you don't have that much to worry about but if you are going to use it continuously you have to get your liver checked from time to time. Some can handle it others can't.

[TailPipe]

You would not want to take this drug without proper medical supervision as some of the side-effects are quite tough...
...Each to his own. Rather than put myself through the rigors of a HIV treatment.

Actually for the majority of the people the side effects are not tough at all. Mostly some mild diarrhea or nausea and only in the beginning. And it isn't an HIV-treatment quit the contrary you take it to not have to go through an HIV treatment in the future. It does contain some ingredients you will also find in an HIV treatment cocktail.

[PinkPearl]

In Bangkok P4P TGs are usually agreeable to being tested for HIV at Bumrungrad hospital which is near all the action.

Results given in 1 to 2 hours, accurate to within 2 weeks, a safe sex measure as effective as condom use.

See the Safe Sex thread in the Thailand forum for more info on that & other preventative measures for BB sex.

Female Thai venue sex workers have about a 2 percent HIV rate. In the Philippines it is much lower, under 1 percent. The difference may be accountable to the fact most Thai men are not circumcised whereas most PI men have been cut. Also in the PI it seems that IDU is less common and anal sex is not there thing.

BTW in the ISG Brazil Safe Sex thread it was claimed recently the hooker HIV rate is over 6 percent. Too much la bamba there, I suppose.

Concerning the rate of HIV transmission in vaginal sex from a HIV positive female to her HIV negative partner, most studies estimated it to be around 1 in 1000 to 2000 times they had sex. But with sex workers the risk is higher. Again this has been discussed at length in the aforementioned Thailand thread.

I would suggest those engaging in BB sex with prostitutes consider HIV prevention measures such as getting them HIV tested first, use virgin coconut oil as a lube, be circumcised, don't cum inside her, avoid anal, and those who use drugs or seem likely to be initiating it with every customer, whether they ask for it or not.

[Member #4349]

The makers of Truvada propose that the drug be used in conjunction with safe sex practices, including use of condoms in circumstances where sexual partners are HIV positive or have a higher than normal risk of being HIV positive. They do not advise use of Truvada without condoms.

You would not want to take this drug without proper medical supervision as some of the side-effects are quite tough and interactions with other meds can be severe. See the website. I would not take the advice of just some mongerer regarding how long to take this drug. Only your doctor will know you and how the drug might affect you.

Testing girls for HIV (using any method) does not exclude them completely as possible HIV positive cases as it takes time for the HIV virus to develop in the body in such a way as to become testable. Also, you can get false positives and negatives from such tests too. And good luck in getting the girls to comply. If you tell them what it is, many will not.

Each to his own. Rather than put myself through the rigors of a HIV treatment (which is what this drug is) and hassle girls for samples to put into a HIV kit every time I go for a shag, I prefer to buy good quality ultra thin condoms (Japanese have a brand whose name I cannot remember) and preserve the GFE or porn experience, whichever is on offer.

Take your point about the treatment not being foolproof. Even condoms burst though. This is an inherently high risk behaviour we indulge in. My goal is to reduce the risk, the "chances" of picking HIV up, not eliminate it, as its painfully obvious the risk cannot be entirely eliminated.

Its a maths thing for me. 1 in 300 chance, per act, if the girls infected and I'm in through the front door, so to speak, but what if I can up that to 1 in 50000 or 1 in 100000. That doesn't make it impossible to catch, just much more unlikely.

I'm also aware it does nothing against the dozens of other potential std's floating around.

Unfortunately its a biological fact for me that a condom makes it much less satisfying, which of course is why we do this in the first place.

Also the side effects need more exploration, although they're "usually not serious" according to the online literature. My plan was to only take it during my crazy two or three week vacations, thus minimising side effects, still as you say a quacks' advice may be required.

Ps. I wasn't being entirely serious re the HIV test for the girls, I couldn't possibly imagine telling some unfortunate young women the bad news.

[Simian]

Should mongers take a course of Truvada before indulging in our high-risk behaviour?

For a couple of hundred dollars could we take the drug for several weeks and have increased (but not total) resistance to the HIV virus?

Granted we would have to watch for all the other sti's.

And how long would I have to carry on taking the drug after arriving back home, and moderating high risk behaviour?

Could I do this for several years running before and after my annual shag-fest holiday?

Better yet, should I combine it with testing my girls with the instant-hiv test kits to make doubly sure. Thing is I wouldn't like to tell anyone they're infected, and it would sure spoil the atmosphere.

The makers of Truvada propose that the drug be used in conjunction with safe sex practices, including use of condoms in circumstances where sexual partners are HIV positive or have a higher than normal risk of being HIV positive. They do not advise use of Truvada without condoms.

You would not want to take this drug without proper medical supervision as some of the side-effects are quite tough and interactions with other meds can be severe. See the website. I would not take the advice of just some mongerer regarding how long to take this drug. Only your doctor will know you and how the drug might affect you.

Testing girls for HIV (using any method) does not exclude them completely as possible HIV positive cases as it takes time for the HIV virus to develop in the body in such a way as to become testable. Also, you can get false positives and negatives from such tests too. And good luck in getting the girls to comply. If you tell them what it is, many will not.

Each to his own. Rather than put myself through the rigors of a HIV treatment (which is what this drug is) and hassle girls for samples to put into a HIV kit every time I go for a shag, I prefer to buy good quality ultra thin condoms (Japanese have a brand whose name I cannot remember) and preserve the GFE or porn experience, whichever is on offer.

[Simian]

Anal isn't that much more dangerous (anyone with links to stats?) if you're doing the deed, if you're the recipient that's another story.

Also not sure that I can "forget about it" re vag sex. SE Asia and Africa have sky high HIV rates with working girls, although not maybe the 30% the aid agencies like to quote. I heard the "chances" of getting it from an already infected girl are around 1-3000, small but given that the result is a lifelong condition and untimely death then I want to change the odds in my favour. Then again I do like to bareback. What to do, what to do?

What do you mean by "bottom feeder" are you refering to street walkers? Its probably true to say there's more prevalance of HIV in street walkers, same as there's more prevalence of other sti's.

As I understand it, the odds of a man getting HIV through unprotected sex from a woman who is infected is averaged at 1 in 250. That assumes the man has no existing STD etc; otherwise the risk goes to 1:5. It also assumes that the woman is not taking meds etc.

How infectious a woman is can be affected by many factors includin when she got the infection, whether she is on meds for it, whether she lubricates well or not and where she is in relation to the progress of the infection. I understand that overall HIV is very infectious in the early stages when or after it surges in the blood. Meds will make her less infectious. That is why meds have played a large role in reducing the rate of further infection of HIV. But the problem is that many people will be infectious but won't know it or won't want to know it.

[Member #4349]

The chances of a male heterosexual catching HIV from normal vaginal intercourse with a female (not a tranny) is so very very small that you can forget about it, unless the female is in another risk group, like druggie, offers anal sex etc. I have been barebacking about SE Asia for the last 10-15 yeras and no signs of HIV, and never encountered a girl with it. But I am happy to pay a reasonable rate to a girl that can say no if she want to, I am not a bottom feeder, that is another risk area.

Anal isn't that much more dangerous (anyone with links to stats?) if you're doing the deed, if you're the recipient that's another story.

Also not sure that I can "forget about it" re vag sex. SE Asia and Africa have sky high HIV rates with working girls, although not maybe the 30% the aid agencies like to quote. I heard the "chances" of getting it from an already infected girl are around 1-3000, small but given that the result is a lifelong condition and untimely death then I want to change the odds in my favour. Then again I do like to bareback. What to do, what to do?

What do you mean by "bottom feeder" are you refering to street walkers? Its probably true to say there's more prevalance of HIV in street walkers, same as there's more prevalence of other sti's.

[AussieDoug]

Should mongers take a course of Truvada before indulging in our high-risk behaviour?

For a couple of hundred dollars could we take the drug for several weeks and have increased (but not total) resistance to the HIV virus?

Granted we would have to watch for all the other sti's.

And how long would I have to carry on taking the drug after arriving back home, and moderating high risk behaviour?

Could I do this for several years running before and after my annual shag-fest holiday?

Better yet, should I combine it with testing my girls with the instant-hiv test kits to make doubly sure. Thing is I wouldn't like to tell anyone they're infected, and it would sure spoil the atmosphere.

The chances of a male heterosexual catching HIV from normal vaginal intercourse with a female (not a tranny) is so very very small that you can forget about it, unless the female is in another risk group, like druggie, offers anal sex etc. I have been barebacking about SE Asia for the last 10-15 yeras and no signs of HIV, and never encountered a girl with it. But I am happy to pay a reasonable rate to a girl that can say no if she want to, I am not a bottom feeder, that is another risk area.

[JohnnyGolfr]

Should mongers take a course of Truvada before indulging in our high-risk behaviour?

For a couple of hundred dollars could we take the drug for several weeks and have increased (but not total) resistance to the HIV virus?

Granted we would have to watch for all the other sti's.

And how long would I have to carry on taking the drug after arriving back home, and moderating high risk behaviour?

Could I do this for several years running before and after my annual shag-fest holiday?

Better yet, should I combine it with testing my girls with the instant-hiv test kits to make doubly sure. Thing is I wouldn't like to tell anyone they're infected, and it would sure spoil the atmosphere.

I don't think it's the "silver bullet" you are seeking. Go here for more info:

http://www.truvada.com/

[Member #4349]

Should mongers take a course of Truvada before indulging in our high-risk behaviour?

For a couple of hundred dollars could we take the drug for several weeks and have increased (but not total) resistance to the HIV virus?

Granted we would have to watch for all the other sti's.

And how long would I have to carry on taking the drug after arriving back home, and moderating high risk behaviour?

Could I do this for several years running before and after my annual shag-fest holiday?

Better yet, should I combine it with testing my girls with the instant-hiv test kits to make doubly sure. Thing is I wouldn't like to tell anyone they're infected, and it would sure spoil the atmosphere.