BEDROOM WARNING! Scientists Tell Viagra Men: Go Slow After HIV PrEP Jab
KAMPALA – Ugandan men looking to keep both HIV and bedroom troubles at bay have been given a rather awkward warning: tell the doctor about your Viagra before getting the HIV prevention jab—or your bedroom plans could turn into a medical emergency.
Dr Flavia Matovu Kiweewa, a Senior Research Scientist at the Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration (MUJHU), has warned men using Viagra to disclose it to health workers before receiving the long-acting HIV prevention injection Lenacapavir.
The warning comes after scientists identified a potentially serious interaction between Lenacapavir and medicines used to treat erectile dysfunction, including sildenafil—the active ingredient in Viagra. The World Health Organisation also lists sildenafil among medicines whose levels can increase when taken with Lenacapavir.
Kiweewa, who led studies in Uganda that helped establish the effectiveness of Lenacapavir for HIV prevention, said the injection can slow the breakdown of Viagra in the body, leaving higher levels of the drug circulating in the bloodstream.
In other words, she is telling the Viagra squad: don’t just tell your partner—you need to tell the doctor too!
“You need less Viagra if you are on Len because the way Len works, it reduces the breakdown of Viagra and then you are having higher drug levels sustained in your system,” Kiweewa said.
She warned that excessive levels of Viagra could cause dangerously low blood pressure or a prolonged erection, with severe complications potentially becoming life-threatening.
The issue is particularly important because Lenacapavir is administered only twice a year, meaning its interaction with other medicines can persist for months. WHO guidance lists sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil and avanafil as erectile-dysfunction medicines that may interact with Lenacapavir.
Kiweewa has therefore urged men not to keep their little blue secret from health workers.
The message is simple: before the jab, come clean about what else is in your medicine cabinet.
Lenacapavir is a long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) injection designed to prevent HIV infection and is administered every six months.
Uganda has witnessed unexpectedly high demand for the new prevention option, particularly among men. Recent reports indicate that the Ministry of Health is expanding access from the initial 103 facilities as demand continues to grow.
Uganda initially received 19,200 doses through the Global Fund, distributed to 103 health facilities. The drug was first targeted at people screened and found to face substantial risk of HIV infection.
However, health officials say demand quickly spread beyond the initially targeted groups, with many men seeking the injection.
Dr Herbert Kadama, the Ministry of Health coordinator for PrEP, says the ministry has responded by increasing the number of facilities offering Lenacapavir and reviewing guidance so that people who consider themselves at risk can be assessed and potentially receive the injection.
Meanwhile, there are reports that some members of the public are willing to pay for Lenacapavir despite it currently being provided free under the national programme.
Efforts to independently verify those reports were unsuccessful, although Kiweewa says she has personally received calls from people asking whether they could pay to access the drug.
Globally, Lenacapavir has attracted enormous interest because of its twice-yearly dosing. In Uganda, its rollout is currently being supported through the Global Fund.
For men using Viagra, however, the latest advice from scientists is clear: before you get the six-month HIV jab, disclose the little blue pill—because when it comes to drug interactions, the doctor needs to know everything.
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