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How Do I Get a Prescription for Descovy?

To get a prescription for Descovy®, talk with your Nurx™ medical provider. You can get a prescription in as few as seven days.

How Do I Request Descovy Through Nurx?

It’s easy to request a Descovy prescription via your Nurx medical provider. For discreet and judgment-free access to this PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) treatment, use the Nurx website or mobile app to request PrEP. Enter your information and respond to a few easy questions about your health status and your sexual activity.

The Nurx medical team will go over your PrEP request. If our medical providers decide that PrEP treatment like Descovy could be a good option for you, based on your current health status, your health history, and your sexual activity, we’ll order lab work for you.

Get PrEP for HIV Prevention At Home

Nurx offers PrEP for HIV prevention for as little as $0 with insurance for medication.

After you do the required lab work, the Nurx team will review your results. Since we send the lab kit to you, you can do the tests in the comfort of your own home. After reviewing your lab results, our medical team will decide if PrEP is the right choice for you. If it is, we’ll order your prescription.

Altogether, requesting PrEP, completing the lab tests, and getting a prescription through Nurx can take just seven days. If you delay your lab tests, the process may take longer.

How Do I Get My Descovy Prescription?

Once your prescription is approved by the Nurx medical team, you’ll receive your medication shortly. Your prescription will arrive via mail, and it will always be shipped in a discreet package.

Each Descovy order includes a three-month supply of medication. Keep an eye on your supply so you know to request a refill from your Nurx provider when you start to run low.

How Much Does Descovy Cost?

When you request PrEP through Nurx, you pay a $25 medical consultation fee. Every time you request a refill — or every three months — you will be charged the $25 fee.

Although Descovy is an expensive treatment, 99% of people who request PrEP through Nurx pay nothing out-of-pocket for their prescriptions. Nurx will bill your insurance provider for the costs and walk you through enrolling in any copay or other assistance programs that can save you money. Gilead Sciences, the company that makes Descovy, offers a payment assistance program designed to make PrEP even more affordable. Ultimately, these programs may cover the entire cost of your PrEP medication.

Does Insurance Cover Descovy?

Most insurance providers cover PrEP medications like Descovy. You can call your insurance company directly or contact [email protected] to learn what your costs will be.

Do I Need Testing Before Starting Descovy?

Before you take Descovy, you need lab tests to check whether you’re HIV negative and confirm that your kidneys function normally. The Nurx team recommends at-home testing through partner labs. That means we’ll ship the lab testing kit right to your door. You can do the tests at home and send them off to our lab partner for processing. This at-home option is available throughout the United States except in New York State.

To keep you healthy, you have to repeat these lab tests every three months while you’re taking Descovy. Taking these tests regularly ensures that you don’t have HIV and that your kidneys continue to stay healthy.

How Much Do PrEP Lab Tests Cost?

The cost of the required lab tests depends on whether you’re using insurance to cover the costs. When you use insurance, your testing costs may vary based on whether your provider considers Molecular Testing Labs an in-network lab. You may have to cover co-payments and any additional out-of-pocket costs as determined by your insurance provider.

Without insurance, costs include:

  • $164 for the comprehensive kit with required HIV and HBV testing and optional sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, or
  • $94 for the basic kit with the required tests.

Alternatively, you can opt to complete required testing at another lab of your choice. The costs for independent testing depend on the lab and your insurance coverage. If you choose independent testing, tell your Nurx medical provider your preferred option.

What Should I Know Before Taking Descovy?

PrEP is not for people living with HIV infections. Instead, Descovy as PrEP is designed to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. Before starting PrEP, you should also talk with your Nurx provider about the following:

  • Recent Illnesses: If you have had any illnesses in the past month — especially colds with flu-like symptoms — tell your Nurx provider. Some flu symptoms, including fevers, sweating at night, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, headaches, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes, can indicate an HIV infection.
  • Allergies: Talk with your provider if you have any allergies, especially if you know you are allergic to emtricitabine or tenofoviralafenamide, the two HIV medications in Descovy.
  • Chronic Conditions: Inform your provider of any ongoing health conditions you have, especially if you have liver or kidney problems or hepatitis B virus infection (HBV).
  • HIV Exposure: If you suspect that you have an HIV infection, talk with your Nurx medical provider before starting PrEP. Contact your health care provider right away if you think you have been exposed to HIV while taking Descovy.
  • Medications: List all of the medications you’re currently taking or considering starting when you request PrEP. Ask whether your medications can be combined with Descovy or if they could cause an adverse side effect.
  • Supplements: Tell your provider about all of the herbal and natural supplements you take, too. Ask whether it’s okay to continue using them while you take Descovy.
  • Pregnancy: Talk with your health care provider if you are pregnant or if you are planning to become pregnant while taking Descovy. It’s unknown whether Descovy can impact your unborn baby, so you should understand the potential risks in advance.
  • Breastfeeding: If you currently breastfeed or plan to do so, ask your provider for more information about taking Descovy. You shouldn’t breastfeed while taking PrEP, since breastmilk can pass HIV-1 to your baby.

Nurx prescribes generic PrEP unless you have a medical reason why you must take Descovy.

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