Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb;29(2):546-555.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-024-04538-1. Epub 2024 Nov 1.

Doxycycline as Post-Exposure Prophylaxis: Awareness, Beliefs, and Interest Among Patients with and at Risk for HIV

Joshua P Havens  1   2 , Nathaniel Singh  3 , Elizabeth Lyden  4 , Sara H Bares  5
Affiliations

Doxycycline as Post-Exposure Prophylaxis: Awareness, Beliefs, and Interest Among Patients with and at Risk for HIV

Joshua P Havens et al. AIDS Behav. 2025 Feb.

Abstract
in English, French

Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) for sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention, but little is known regarding patient beliefs and interest in doxy-PEP. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults (≥ 19 years) receiving care for HIV treatment (PWH) or prevention (pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP) between May-October 2023. The 32-question survey was organized into three parts: doxy-PEP awareness/beliefs/interest/concerns, sexual history, and demographics. Fishers Exact and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used to compare responses between groups. Multivariate logistic regression identified predictive factors for doxy-PEP interest and concern(s). 166 participants completed the survey. Mean age was 43 years, 83% were male, 22% Black, and 13% Hispanic. Forty-one participants (25%) were on PrEP. Most respondents (75%) were unaware of doxy-PEP. Factors associated with doxy-PEP interest were respondents prescribed PrEP (aOR 2.67; 95% CI, 1.15-6.21) and belief of high risk for STI (aOR, 4.50; 95% CI, 2.24-9.07). Higher doxy-PEP concerns were associated with age ≤40 years (aOR, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.47-6.52), > high school education (aOR, 3.47; 95% CI, 1.64-7.33), and belief of high risk for STI (aOR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.21-5.50). In this single-site cohort survey study, most respondents were unaware of doxy-PEP but expressed interest and low levels of overall concern. Clinicians should offer doxy-PEP access to all patients at high risk for STIs or requesting the treatment after shared decision-making discussions.

Most respondents were unaware of doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) but expressed interest and had low levels of concern. Respondents who perceived themselves to be at high risk for sexually transmitted infections were most interested in and likely to use doxy-PEP.

Keywords: Doxy-PEP; HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis; Patient beliefs; People with HIV.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of Interest: JPH has received grants to his institution from Gilead Sciences and has provided scientific advisory to ViiV Healthcare. SHB has received grants to her institution from Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare, and Janssen, and reports scientific advisory to Gilead Sciences. NS and EL report no conflict of interest. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the authors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Respondents beliefs regarding their A, interest in doxy-PEP use if offered, and C, reasons for doxy-PEP interest (check all that apply). *STI complications noted: infertility, vision loss, hearing loss
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Respondents beliefs regarding their A, anticipated frequency of DoxyPEP use, and B likelihood to share DoxyPEP with partners
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Respondent DoxyPEP prescription preference
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
A, Level of doxy-PEP concern; B, Reasons for respondents’ doxy-PEP concerns. (check all that apply)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
A, Respondents perceived beliefs of changes in sexual practices (i.e. Increased likelihood to have condom less sex and /or more sexual partners) with doxy-PEP implementation; B, Overall respondent perceived beliefs of doxy-PEP impact on respondent and community increases in sexual practices
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Surveillance STD, Prevention TB. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2022/default.htm. Accessed October, 30, 2023.
    1. Molina JM, Charreau I, Chidiac C, et al. Post-exposure prophylaxis with doxycycline to prevent sexually transmitted infections in men who have sex with men: an open-label randomised substudy of the ANRS IPERGAY trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018;18(3):308–17. - PubMed
    1. Molina JM, Bercot B, Assoumou L et al. ANRS 174 DOXYVAC: an open-label randomized trial to prevent STIs in MSM on PrEP. The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Abstract 119. February, 19–22, 2023. Seattle, Washington.
    1. Luetkemeyer AF, Donnell D, Dombrowski JC, et al. Postexposure doxycycline to prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections. N Engl J Med. 2023;388(14):1296–306. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stewart J, Oware K, Donnell D, et al. Doxycycline Prophylaxis to prevent sexually transmitted infections in women. N Engl J Med. 2023;389(25):2331–40. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources