How to Get DoxyPEP Online — Including for Free
DoxyPEP is a single dose of doxycycline taken after sex to prevent syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. The CDC issued clinical guidelines in 2024, and it's now prescribable by telehealth in most states — sometimes at no cost at all if you bundle it with PrEP.
What's in this guide
Get DoxyPEP free, bundled with PrEP
MISTR includes DoxyPEP at no cost for eligible patients alongside free PrEP — plus three-site chlamydia and gonorrhea testing as part of the standard quarterly lab panel. Consultation, labs, medication, and delivery are all included.
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DoxyPEP is the most significant addition to sexual health prevention since PrEP itself, and a surprising number of people who would benefit have never heard of it.
The concept is simple: take 200mg of doxycycline within 72 hours after condomless sex, and your risk of picking up syphilis, chlamydia, or gonorrhea drops substantially. The CDC published clinical guidelines for it in June 2024. It is now widely prescribable, including online.
What DoxyPEP actually is
"DoxyPEP" stands for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis. Doxycycline is an old, cheap, generic tetracycline-class antibiotic that has been around for decades. The innovation isn't the drug, it's the timing — using a single dose after a potential exposure rather than a full treatment course after an infection has established.
In clinical trials, DoxyPEP produced substantial reductions in bacterial STI incidence among men who have sex with men and transgender women. The effect was strongest for syphilis and chlamydia, with a more modest effect on gonorrhea.
Who the CDC says it's for
The 2024 CDC guidelines recommend that providers discuss DoxyPEP with:
- Men who have sex with men and transgender women who have had a bacterial STI — syphilis, chlamydia, or gonorrhea — in the past 12 months.
That's the formal recommendation. In practice many providers take a broader view and prescribe based on shared decision-making with people at ongoing risk, whether or not there's a documented infection in the past year.
Where the evidence is genuinely thin is cisgender women. The trial that studied DoxyPEP in cisgender women in Kenya did not find a significant benefit, and adherence was low enough that the result is hard to interpret. Current CDC guidance does not recommend DoxyPEP for cisgender women on the grounds of insufficient evidence, and most telehealth platforms follow that. Doxycycline is also contraindicated in pregnancy.
The CDC also emphasizes that DoxyPEP should sit inside a broader sexual health approach: regular comprehensive STI screening, vaccination, risk-reduction counseling, and linkage to HIV prevention.
The free route: bundle it with PrEP
Here is the thing most search results won't tell you, because most DoxyPEP pages are run by telehealth companies charging per visit: if you're a PrEP patient, DoxyPEP is often free.
MISTR began prescribing DoxyPEP in 2024 and offers it at no cost alongside its free PrEP service. Critically, it also includes three-site chlamydia and gonorrhea testing — throat, rectal, and urethral/genital — as part of the standard quarterly lab panel, with syphilis and hepatitis C available as optional additions. That three-site screening matters more than people realize: a large share of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections in men who have sex with men are pharyngeal or rectal and would be missed entirely by a urine test alone.
Q Care Plus similarly bundles DoxyPEP with its PrEP service and includes STI testing plus connection to treatment. Freddie also offers DoxyPEP to its patients.
The logic is straightforward. You already need quarterly HIV and STI testing to stay on PrEP. DoxyPEP requires exactly the same monitoring. Running both through one provider means one intake, one lab panel, one shipment, and no separate visit fee. Our three-way provider comparison covers how each handles it.
Why pay $79 a visit when it's bundled?
Standalone DoxyPEP telehealth visits typically run $49–$129. MISTR offers DoxyPEP free to eligible PrEP patients, with the required STI screening built into the quarterly labs rather than billed separately.
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Using this code at signup helps us achieve our mission of getting free PrEP out to all who need it. It costs you nothing and never changes what you pay.
Paid telehealth options
If you don't want PrEP — and plenty of people who benefit from DoxyPEP aren't PrEP candidates — there are standalone telehealth routes.
| Route | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PrEP telehealth platform, bundled | $0 for eligible patients | Best value by a wide margin if you want or already take PrEP. Includes the required STI screening. |
| General telehealth (e.g. PlushCare) | ~$129 initial visit; often $30 or less with in-network insurance | Works if you have insurance that covers telehealth visits. |
| Self-pay telehealth clinics | ~$49–$79 per visit | Flat cash rate, no insurance needed, FSA/HSA generally accepted. Availability varies by state. |
| Sexual health clinic / health department | Often free or sliding scale | Best option if you want in-person testing at the same time. Many big-city health departments have adopted DoxyPEP protocols. |
| Your own PCP | Standard visit cost | Fine if your doctor is comfortable with the CDC guidance. Some are not yet. |
What DoxyPEP costs
The medication itself is almost free. Generic doxycycline is one of the cheapest antibiotics available — a 90-day supply of 100mg tablets typically costs very little with a discount card, and it's covered by essentially every insurance formulary.
What you're actually paying for in most cases is the visit and the testing. That's why the bundled route wins on economics: the testing is required for PrEP anyway, so the marginal cost of adding DoxyPEP approaches zero.
Prescriptions are usually written as a supply to keep at home — commonly 60, 120, or 180 tablets of doxycycline hyclate or monohydrate 100mg — so you have doses on hand when you need them, rather than needing a new prescription after each encounter.
How to take it
200mg, as a single dose
That's two 100mg tablets or capsules taken together, not spread out.
As soon as possible, within 72 hours
After oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Sooner is better; 72 hours is the outer limit per CDC guidance.
Maximum one 200mg dose per 24 hours
Multiple encounters in a day still means one dose. Do not stack.
Take it with water, sitting or standing upright
Doxycycline can irritate the esophagus if it lodges there. Don't take it immediately before lying down. Taking it with food reduces nausea, though it slightly reduces absorption.
Use sunscreen
Photosensitivity is the most common real-world side effect — you burn faster than you expect. Worth knowing before a beach weekend.
Keep testing every three months
DoxyPEP reduces risk; it does not eliminate it. Regular comprehensive screening remains essential, and three-site testing is the standard for anyone having oral or receptive anal sex.
The antibiotic resistance question
This is a real concern and it deserves an honest treatment rather than dismissal.
Every clinical trial of DoxyPEP has found increased tetracycline resistance among gonorrhea isolates in people using it, compared with controls. Tetracyclines are not currently used to treat gonorrhea — ceftriaxone is — so the immediate clinical impact is limited. But cross-resistance and broader effects on the microbiome are under active surveillance, and there are open questions about impacts on staph and other organisms.
The CDC's response is to target DoxyPEP rather than distribute it broadly: focus on people at genuinely elevated risk, maintain regular STI screening, and monitor resistance patterns. That's why the eligibility criteria are relatively narrow and why "just give everyone doxycycline" is not the guidance.
The reasonable way to hold this: DoxyPEP is a well-evidenced intervention for a specific population experiencing a real syphilis surge, with a genuine unresolved population-level tradeoff. If you fit the criteria, the individual case is strong. It is not something to take casually.
What DoxyPEP does not do
- It does not prevent HIV. Only PrEP does that. If you're taking DoxyPEP, you're by definition in a population where PrEP is worth a serious conversation.
- It does not prevent viral STIs — herpes, HPV, hepatitis B. Vaccination covers HPV and hepatitis B.
- It does not treat an existing infection. A single 200mg dose is prophylaxis, not therapy. If you have symptoms, you need testing and a proper treatment course.
- It does not replace testing. Bacterial STIs are frequently asymptomatic. Quarterly three-site screening is what actually catches them.
If you're reading this because you're thinking about your sexual health broadly, the highest-value move is usually getting on PrEP and DoxyPEP together with quarterly screening from one provider. Our free PrEP guide walks through every route.
PrEP and DoxyPEP together, at $0
PrEP prevents HIV. DoxyPEP reduces bacterial STIs. Getting both from one provider means one intake, one lab panel, and one shipment. MISTR covers all of it at no cost for most patients across all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
ANDR735
Using this code at signup helps us achieve our mission of getting free PrEP out to all who need it. It costs you nothing and never changes what you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get DoxyPEP online?
Yes. DoxyPEP is prescribable by telehealth in most states. PrEP telehealth platforms including MISTR, Q Care Plus, and Freddie offer it to their patients, and general telehealth services and self-pay clinics prescribe it standalone for roughly $49 to $129 per visit.
Is DoxyPEP free anywhere?
Yes — MISTR offers DoxyPEP at no cost to eligible patients alongside its free PrEP service, including the three-site chlamydia and gonorrhea testing in the standard quarterly lab panel. Many sexual health clinics and health departments also provide it free or on a sliding scale.
Who is eligible for DoxyPEP?
CDC 2024 guidelines recommend discussing DoxyPEP with men who have sex with men and transgender women who have had syphilis, chlamydia, or gonorrhea in the past 12 months. Many providers prescribe more broadly based on ongoing risk. Current guidance does not recommend it for cisgender women due to insufficient evidence, and doxycycline is contraindicated in pregnancy.
How much does DoxyPEP cost?
The doxycycline itself is very cheap generic medication covered by essentially every formulary. The cost is in the visit and testing — roughly $49 to $129 for a standalone telehealth visit, or $0 if bundled with a free PrEP service that already includes the required quarterly screening.
How do you take DoxyPEP?
A single 200mg dose — two 100mg tablets — taken as soon as possible and within 72 hours after oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Maximum one 200mg dose per 24 hours regardless of how many encounters. Take it upright with water, and expect increased sun sensitivity.
Is DoxyPEP the same as HIV PEP?
No, and the distinction matters. HIV PEP is a 28-day antiretroviral course started within 72 hours of possible HIV exposure and it's an emergency intervention. DoxyPEP is a single dose of doxycycline to prevent bacterial STIs. DoxyPEP provides no protection against HIV.
Does DoxyPEP cause antibiotic resistance?
Trials have consistently found increased tetracycline resistance in gonorrhea isolates among DoxyPEP users. Tetracyclines aren't used to treat gonorrhea currently, so the direct clinical impact is limited, but cross-resistance is under active surveillance. The CDC's approach is to target DoxyPEP to people at elevated risk rather than prescribe it broadly.
Can I take DoxyPEP and PrEP at the same time?
Yes, and it's a common combination — they target different infections. PrEP prevents HIV; DoxyPEP reduces bacterial STIs. Several telehealth providers prescribe both together, which also means one shared quarterly lab panel instead of duplicated testing.
Sources
CDC, Guidelines for the Use of Doxycycline Postexposure Prophylaxis for Bacterial STI Prevention, MMWR, June 2024 · New Jersey Department of Health clinical alert on doxy PEP dispensing quantities · MISTR published FAQ and service documentation on DoxyPEP and quarterly three-site testing · Washington Blade reporting on MISTR's DoxyPEP launch · PlushCare and self-pay telehealth published pricing, 2026 · Q Care Plus service documentation · Published trial data on doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis and tetracycline resistance surveillance.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. Discuss DoxyPEP with a licensed clinician who can assess your situation.