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Injectable PrEP
Benefits and Barriers in Transitioning to Injectable PrEP: My Story

Released: February 19, 2026

Colleen F. Kelley
Colleen F. Kelley, MD, MPH
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Key Takeaways
  • Long-acting injectable PrEP can help reduce daily burden.
  • Trade-offs with long-acting injectable PrEP remain but are manageable; injection-site soreness and temporary lumps were the main downsides, but they improved with time and simple pain management.

Anonymous
I heard about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) back in 2020 after the loss of my brother from untreated HIV. I was curious about some of the steps he could have taken vs not taken to protect himself. 

I really weighed out the pros and cons for PrEP, and I made that leap forward because I didn't want to end up like my brother. I didn’t want to ever have to explain to my son or other family members that I had HIV because I wasn't in control of my sexual health. I didn’t want to put that in someone else's hands vs me taking control of it.

Colleen Kelley, MD
That is an incredible story, and I am sorry to hear about your brother. It is inspirational that it caused you to seek out something to take control of your sexual health.

Anonymous 
Thank you. I appreciate it. It was a wake-up call.

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH
How did you do taking pills every day for HIV prevention?

Anonymous
At first, I didn't like it just because the pills were so huge. I was taking them during the daytime, like I take my other medication, but I felt it made me drowsy. So my physician told me to take it at night. I compared it to birth control, taking it every day at the same time, making sure I didn’t miss any pills.

I did miss some pills, and when that happened, I always reached out to my provider and asked about my window as far as still being protected. I tried to make sure that if I didn't take the pills the day or night before, then I would use protection. But sometimes things did slip up. After about 2 and a half years I switched over to long-acting PrEP.

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH
Can you tell us about when you decided you would rather be on the injections? What were the pros and cons that you weighed? How did you make that decision?

Anonymous
My provider told me about the injectable PrEP that was newly available. Even though I didn't like taking pills every day, I was a little unsure about switching. I'm kind of a creature of habit so I was used to taking the pills. But she told me that it would be 1 less thing to worry about taking every day, and I would only have to see her every 2 months to get the shot. I decided to try it and see if it was worth it.

Not having to take the medication every day has been a benefit. Also, not every visit requires me to see my physician. Each visit is not a super long process, it takes an hour or 2 out of my day, max. And then I don't have to worry about it for 2 more months.

The drawback would be the soreness in the area where they give me the injection. It may form a little lump, but the soreness wears off after a few days. I don't like the soreness, so that would be probably my only con. I wish I had known about the soreness beforehand, so I could have gotten myself mentally prepared. It really was very bad at first.

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH
Do you do anything to manage that like heating pads or ibuprofen or do you just power through?

Anonymous  
I do use ibuprofen, but for the most part, I just push through the pain for a couple of days. Now that my body has gotten accustomed to it, it doesn't hurt as much.

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH
Did you notice any difference or impact on your daily life when you went from pills to injections?

Anonymous
The biggest difference is the knowledge that I don’t have to take a pill every day—it’s 1 less thing on my plate. And now I don’t have to wonder if I am still protected or not if I miss a pill. That question gets taken right off the table.

Colleen Kelley, MD, MPH
So do you think you will stay on PrEP forever?

Anonymous
Right now I probably would stay on it forever. I don't see myself stopping it anytime soon. For me, it's always about protecting yourself and being in control. I tell my son all the time, there's a lot of things we can't control in this world, but the one thing you can control is what you do yourself. You can still be in control of your own sexual health. 

Your Thoughts
How are you incorporating long-acting injectable PrEP in your practice, and what has it been like for your patients? Join the conversation by posting below.

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