Being PrEPared in Boston is easy!
Sex should be safe, fun and consensual!
There are medical providers in every community in Boston who can help you prevent getting HIV with a once-daily pill or an injection every eight weeks.
(For statewide information, click here.)
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use.
When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.
Being PrEPared in Boston is Easy!
Sex should be safe, fun, and consensual! There are medical providers in every community in Boston who can help you prevent getting HIV with a once-daily pill or an injection every eight weeks.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV.
Preventing HIV is as easy as 1-2-3
Find a clinic convenient for you that prescribes PrEP. There are community health centers, agencies, and other places where you can get PrEP.
Make an appointment or walk in to see a medical provider and get your baseline lab tests done. Talk to your provider to learn the PrEP option that’s right for you.
Start taking PrEP. At many clinics and health centers, you can get a prescription for PrEP the same day as your appointment.
Find PrEP at a Community Health Center or Clinic Near You
Click on any of the logos below to learn how to get PrEP from that community health center
Codman Square Health Center
X-Clinic
637 Washington St., Dorchester, MA 02126
617-822-8350
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DotHouse Health
1353 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA 02122
(617) 288-3230
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East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Project SHINE
79 Paris St East Boston, MA 02128
(617) 568-4490
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Harbor Health
Daniel Driscoll Neponset Health Center
398 Neponset Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02122
(617) 282-3200
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JRI Health | Justice Resource Institute
Boston GLASS
555 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02135
978-604-6937
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Multicultural AIDS Coalition, Inc.
9 Palmer Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
(617) 442-1622
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Mattapan Community Health Center
1575 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02126
(617) 296-0061
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Find a location in your neighborhood
Click on the map to find a community health center or agency offering PrEP and other resources in your neighborhood.
Find Other Resources and Services Near You
Click on any of the logos below to learn about other resources and services near you
New England AIDS Education & Training Center Program
529 Main St Suite 301, Boston, MA 02129
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Care That Fits You
A program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
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Follow a manual added link
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
PrEP | HIV Basics | HIV/AIDS
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If you’re HIV negative and think you’re at risk for HIV, especially if you: are sexually active with a partner with HIV; don’t always use condoms; had an STD in the past 6 months; inject drugs & share needles, syringes, or other injection equipment, talk to your health care provider about HIV PrEP.
PrEP is a pill you take once a day or an injection you receive every eight weeks. In some cases, people want to take PrEP for short periods of time and around specific exposures e.g. vacations. This is called “on-demand PrEP.” Talk to your health care provider to see if that is a good option for you.
More than a million people in the U.S. have HIV, and there are thousands of new diagnoses each year. (Among those new diagnoses, 70% are among people who are Black/African American or Hispanic/Latino.) Taking PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV.
There are several health centers in and around Boston, and Massachusetts, where you can get PrEP. Many organizations have staff members called “PrEP navigators,” who focus on helping patients decide about taking PrEP, paying for it, and more.
Most sites offer same-day PrEP, which means you can start taking PrEP the same day as your visit and prescription. If something changes and you are no longer at risk for contracting HIV, you can talk to your provider about stopping PrEP.
There are many ways to get PrEP. You can start by reaching out to any of the participating health centers below. Before you start a PrEP prescription, you need to have an HIV test & tests for kidney function and hepatitis B. Only people who are HIV negative are eligible to take PrEP.
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PrEP Efficacy
PrEP reduces the risk of HIV:
From sex:
For a person who injects drugs:
Who should consider PrEP?
If you are HIV NEGATIVE and:
You are a sexually active adult or adolescent who has vaginal or anal sex …
AND … you have a partner who is HIV+ … OR … you have a recent STI … OR … you don’t use condoms consistently
You are a person who injects drugs …
AND … you have a partner who is HIV+ … OR … you have shared needles or works
PrEP Options
There are three medications currently FDA approved for HIV PrEP in the US:
Truvada
Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) is a pill that is FDA approved for people at risk through sex or injection drug use.
Descovy
Descovy (emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide) is a pill that is FDA approved for people at risk of HIV through sex, except for people assigned female at birth who are at risk of getting HIV from vaginal sex.
Apretude
Apretude (cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension) is an FDA approved injection for at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 77 pounds to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV. The drug is given first as two initiation injections administered one month apart, and then every two months thereafter.
Options for taking PrEP:
Daily
Take a pill every 24 hours
Every 8 weeks
Receive an injection every eight weeks
On Demand 2-1-1*
Two pills 2 – 24 hours before sex, then daily until two days after last having sex
“Vacation PrEP”
Daily use of PrEP during high-risk periods
*non-FDA-approved regimens
PrEP Safety
PrEP medications are safe and have been tested and studied over many years. Some users may have side effect such as diarrhea, headache, fatigue, and stomach pain, which are usually mild. Regular lab monitoring is also conducted for safety.
PrEP Cost
In Massachusetts, there is usually no cost for PrEP medications. The PrEP Drug Assistance Program – PrEPDAP can help most patients receive PrEP at no cost to them.
Why do YOU take PrEP?
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should take PrEP?
PrEP is for people who are HIV negative, and at risk of contracting HIV by having unprotected sex with someone with HIV. It’s also for people who are HIV negative and:
- Don’t always use condoms
- Had an STD in the past 6 months
- Use injection drugs and share needles or works
Who should NOT take PrEP?
Prep is not for people who already have HIV. It is also not for people looking for emergency use – for instance after a condom breaks but PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) is available for those situations.
How effective is PrEP at preventing people from contracting HIV?
Research shows that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% if taken every day. There is not as much research about PrEP use among injection drug users, but experts report it reduces the risk of HIV by at least 74% when taken as directed.
What are the side effects?
Some people may experience nausea, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, and stomach pain when they start PrEP, but the symptoms are not severe and usually go away.
How much does it cost to get PrEP?
Most insurance plans and MassHealth cover the HIV PrEP and tests associated with it, and PrEPDAP is available to cover medication costs for most patients without prescription coverage.
How soon after I start taking PrEP am I protected?
If you take PrEP every day for 7 days, it is highly effective at preventing HIV in people who have anal sex. However, if you are having vaginal sex or using injection drugs, it takes 21 days of daily use for PrEP to be fully effective.
Does PrEP protect me from HIV and other STIs?
PrEP is very effective at preventing HIV. However, it does not protect users from other sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Other HIV Prevention Methods
While PrEP can protect you against HIV, it does not protect you from contracting other sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.
There are other ways you can protect against other infections.
Use condoms
Use condoms. Be sure to use them the right way. In addition to helping to protect against HIV, they can protect you from other sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Lower-risk activities
Choose lower-risk sexual activities. You can’t get HIV from sexual activities that don’t involve contact with body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, or blood).
Test for other STIs
Test and treat for other sexually transmitted infections (STI). Having another STI puts you at increased risk for HIV.
Regular testing
Keep you and your partner(s) healthy. Get tested regularly and encourage your partner(s) to. If your partner has HIV, encourage them to adhere to their treatment.
Support Groups and Events
LGBTQ+ Support Group:
Ages 14-19
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Trans & Non-binary Support Group: Ages 12-17
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Trans & Non-binary Support Group: Ages 18-29
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Support Group for Parents of Trans & Non-binary Individuals
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