How to Stop PrEP Safely (and Restart It Later)

First: is stopping the right move?

PrEP is meant for the periods of your life when HIV exposure is possible, and it's fine to stop when that changes. Before you stop, it's worth asking yourself:

• Am I stopping because my risk changed, or because of cost, side effects or hassle? Each of those has a fix. Cost problems often have a no-cost route (see keeping PrEP after losing insurance). Side effects can sometimes be solved by switching drugs. A provider you don't like can be replaced (see how to switch PrEP providers).
• Is my new situation stable? If you're stopping for a new relationship, keep in mind that U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable) applies when a partner with HIV is on treatment and has an undetectable viral load. Agreements about sex outside a relationship can change over time.
• Would on-demand dosing work better? If you have sex only occasionally, the on-demand "2-1-1" schedule may suit some people better than stopping altogether.

Whatever you decide, CDC's patient guidance is simple: don't stop PrEP without talking to your healthcare provider first.

If side effects are the reason

Early side effects like nausea or headache usually fade within the first few weeks (see your first month on PrEP). If they don't, or your kidney numbers have shifted, switching may solve it without giving up protection. Descovy is easier on kidneys and bones than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. The two injectables avoid daily pills altogether. Kidney and bone changes from tenofovir disoproxil fumarate are generally small and reverse after stopping, so a lab result that worries you is a reason to talk options with your prescriber, not a reason to panic.

Stopping daily PrEP pills

This applies to generic Truvada (F/TDF), Truvada and Descovy (F/TAF).

1. Pick your last-exposure date. Protection from daily pills fades over about 7 to 10 days after the last dose, according to CDC's clinical guideline. So you keep taking pills for a period after your last possible exposure, not just until it.
2. Ask how long to continue. WHO's 2022 guidance says daily oral PrEP can be stopped by continuing daily doses for 7 days after the last potential exposure. Your prescriber may recommend a specific period for your situation. Follow their advice, especially if your exposure is through vaginal sex.
3. Get an HIV test. Ask for a final HIV test when you stop, so you leave PrEP knowing your status.
4. Handle hepatitis B if it applies (see below).
5. Keep your leftover pills only if your prescriber agrees, and never restart from an old bottle without an HIV test.

The hepatitis B caution

Most people on PrEP don't have hepatitis B. You were tested for it when you started. If you're not sure of your result, ask before you stop. If you're not immune, ask about the hepatitis B vaccine, which protects you whether or not you stay on PrEP.

Stopping injectable PrEP: the tail

Long-acting shots don't switch off when you skip the next one. The medicine leaves your body slowly over many months. That slow decline is called the tail, and it matters in two ways:

• During most of the tail, drug levels are too low to protect you from HIV.
• If you get HIV during the tail, the leftover drug can help drug-resistant virus develop, which can limit your treatment options later.

Yeztugo can also affect how some other medicines work for up to 9 months after the last injection, so tell any future prescriber that you had it. For more on the shots themselves, see our injectable PrEP guide.

Your stopping checklist

• Told my prescriber I'm stopping, and got a plan for my last doses or my last injection date
• Final HIV test done (and every-3-months tests booked if I was on an injectable)
• Checked my hepatitis B status; monitoring plan in place if positive
• Hepatitis B vaccine if I'm not immune
• Know where to get PEP within 72 hours if an exposure happens
• Know who I'll call to restart

PrEP doesn't prevent other STIs, and stopping doesn't change your STI testing needs. Our sister site has guidance on how often to test.

How to restart PrEP

Restarting is routine, and most services can get you going quickly.

1. Get an HIV test. CDC's guideline says clinicians should document a negative HIV test within the week before starting or restarting PrEP. If you had a possible exposure recently, a lab test that can find early infection is preferred.
2. Repeat the basic labs your prescriber orders: kidney function for oral PrEP, hepatitis B if your status has changed or is unknown, and STI tests.
3. Rebuild protection. With daily pills, CDC says maximum protection takes about 7 days for receptive anal sex and about 21 days for receptive vaginal sex or injection drug use. Injectables restart with their starting doses.
4. Exposure in the last 72 hours? PEP comes first. After a 28-day PEP course and a negative HIV test, you can move straight onto PrEP.

If what changed is your coverage, our guides to keeping PrEP after losing insurance and free PrEP show the no-cost routes. If you're worried about long-term effects, our long-term safety guide covers what years of data show.

This guide is general health information, not medical advice, and it doesn't replace a conversation with a clinician who knows your history. Guidance and program rules change; we last reviewed this page on October 12, 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us.