Does doxy PEP work? What are the side effects?
Doxy PEP has been proven to reduce the risk of bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis). This matched up with the experiences of the doxy PEP users we interviewed. Maxfield says that they “haven’t tested positive for an STI in over two years because of doxy PEP.” Efthimios said they “haven’t really had anything since I started using it.”
All three of the people we interviewed mentioned some side effects of doxy PEP, including the chance of it upsetting their stomachs. Maxfield said, “It can have some negative effects on your gastrointestinal system, but I find that in order to mitigate that, I just make sure that I eat something.” None of the patients we interviewed mentioned any side effects severe enough to influence their decision to take doxy PEP.
How can health care providers reduce the stigma and judgment around STIs?
One thing that came up in our interviews was the need to make healthcare spaces more welcoming for all people. Oscar, Efthimios, and Maxwell all highlighted the importance of having inclusive and educated health care providers. Efthimios put it this way, “it’s important [for health care providers] to always listen and then assess what could maybe be risky, what could be prevented, what could be improved, [and] how someone could be helped. So, no judgment and [being] open for everybody and talk about anything you want to talk about.”
Maxfield emphasized that sexual health should be destigmatized, saying, “we can all find a little bit more comfort in knowing that sex is not a dirty thing. I think if we all kind of adopt that mindset and just say, hey, we all do this. We are, we are human beings. We love love. And love should be free, not something that is seen as shameful.”