Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov;22(11):3566-3575.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-018-2045-1.

Why I Quit Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)? A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Reasons for PrEP Discontinuation and Potential Re-initiation Among Gay and Bisexual Men

Thomas H F Whitfield  1   2 , Steven A John  1 , H Jonathon Rendina  1   2   3 , Christian Grov  4 , Jeffrey T Parsons  5   6   7
Affiliations

Why I Quit Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)? A Mixed-Method Study Exploring Reasons for PrEP Discontinuation and Potential Re-initiation Among Gay and Bisexual Men

Thomas H F Whitfield et al. AIDS Behav. 2018 Nov.

Abstract

Literature concerning pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay and bisexual identifying men (GBM) has explored facilitators and barriers to uptake and adherence. Far less reported are the reasons why GBM discontinue PrEP use. A national sample of 1071 GBM completed surveys about PrEP use and discontinuation. Participants who were still taking PrEP the 24-month follow up were compared to those that had stopped. Eighteen percent (n = 31) of GBM who reported ever using PrEP discontinued use. Younger (AOR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.92-1.00), and unemployed (AOR = 4.58; 95% CI 1.43-14.70) GBM were more likely to discontinue PrEP than their counterparts. Those that discontinued provided details on why via a free response question. The most common reasons for discontinuation were lower perceived HIV risk (50%) and cost/insurance (30%). Reasons for potential re-initiation included higher-risk sexual activities and changes to structural related barriers. More research is needed to inform interventions on how GBM can continue taking PrEP during changes to employment that effect insurance coverage and cost.

Keywords: Gay and bisexual men; HIV prevention; Medication discontinuation; Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); Sexual risk perception.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. CDC. Basic Statistics - New HIV Diagnoses by Transmission Category. 2015 [cited 2017]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/statistics.html.
    1. CDC. HIV Prevention in the United States, New Opportunities, New Expectations. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015 [cited 2017 5/22/17]; Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/policies/cdc-hiv-prevention-bluebook.pdf.
    1. CDC. PrEP: A New Tool for HIV Prevention. 2012 [cited 2016 8/16/16]; Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/prevention_prep_factsheet.pdf.
    1. Volk JE, Marcus JL, Phengrasamy T, Blechinger D, Nguyen DP, Follansbee S, et al. No new HIV infections with increasing use of HIV preexposure prophylaxis in a clinical practice setting. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2015;61(10):1601–3. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mimiaga MJ, Case P, Johnson CV, Safren SA, Mayer KH. Preexposure antiretroviral prophylaxis attitudes in high-risk Boston area men who report having sex with men: limited knowledge and experience but potential for increased utilization after education. Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) 2009;50(1):77–83. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms