20 November 25

Ending HIV

5 reasons Doxy-PEP might be right for you

When it comes to being sexually active, STIs are a part of life. While we’ve seen great reductions in HIV transmission with the introduction of PrEP, STIs have been stubbornly resilient.

However, along with condoms, there’s a new way to prevent the transmission of syphilis and chlamydia – it’s called Doxy-PEP (short for Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). It’s an antibiotic that you take within 72 hours after sex.

It’s a great additional option to have to prevent chlamydia and syphilis, and it can be used alongside PrEP and condoms for even better protection! Just remember, Doxy-PEP doesn’t protect you against HIV or other STIs.

So, what are the ways you could be using Doxy-PEP to have a happy and healthy sex life? Find out below.

1. Prevent syphilis and chlamydia on the go

Like condoms or PrEP, it’s easy to bring with you. Doxy-PEP is taken after sex within 72 hours (or three days).

You can take it with you on a weekend away, or have it ready to go on a Monday after a weekend of play; it’s flexible!

2. It’s affordable, and any doctor can prescribe it

The good news is that Doxy-PEP is an affordable medication that can cost up to $21.05 for 7 pills.

This is a subsidised price by the government, available to those with Medicare access. If you don’t have Medicare, the good news is this medication can also be found at the same price or cheaper through private prescriptions.

Doxy-PEP is a prescription-only medication, which means you need a doctor to prescribe it for you. Any doctor can prescribe it, though general practitioners (or GPs) will be your best bet.

The use of doxycycline as doxy-PEP is relatively new in Australia, so some doctors may not be aware or unsure about its use.

If this is the case, when you visit your doctor, you can share with them this NSW Health web page (or this printable PDF). This resource is intended as a tool to help you and your doctor understand the protection it provides, potential risks, and decide together whether or not to go ahead with doxy-PEP.

3. You only have to take it when you need it

One of the best things about doxy-PEP is that you don’t need to take it in advance!  You only need to take Doxy-PEP after you’ve been a risk of STI transmission.

This means you won’t need to use a lot of pills either;  you’ll only take 2 pills within 3 days of having sex. Here’s an example of how it can work:

So two pills can reduce your rates of chlamydia and syphilis over 3 nights. That’s pretty economical!  Instead of something like daily PrEP, you can also save money by only taking it when you need the protection.

4. Help protect your partners from chlamydia and syphilis

Taking Doxy-PEP not only protects your health, but also extends that protection to your partners.

For gay and bi+ guys with partners who are cis women or have a uterus, syphilis and chlamydia can have lasting impacts on their partners’ health. Such long-term effects include infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and have negative effects on pregnancy.

With that in mind, Doxy-PEP can be a great addition when you want to protect your partners as well as yourself from STIs.

5. It can help reduce visits to the doctor/sexual health

If you’re taking Doxy-PEP, effectively you’ll be reducing the risk of transmission for both chlamydia and syphilis.

While it’s generally recommended to test for HIV and STIs every three months, sometimes you might end up there sooner if you start experiencing symptoms, or a former partner gets in touch to let you know about a potential exposure.

Doxy-PEP will hopefully reduce your likelihood of transmitting certain STIs in these instances and help to reduce your overall visits to the doctor.

Of course, if you get contacted by a partner who’s tested positive, or if you have symptoms, you should still head in to get a test. Though for those on Doxy-PEP, overall, it should be less likely!

Doxy-PEP curious? Find out more

Have we made the case for why Doxy-PEP could be a good addition to your love life? Learn more about Doxy-PEP and how to get it.

Did you know that there are other medications that are used to prevent HIV and STIs? Read more about them in our piece What’s the difference between PrEP, Doxy-PEP and HIV-PEP.