Doxy-PEP

Doxy-PEP, short for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, is a prevention strategy where a person takes a 200 mg dose of the antibiotic doxycycline within 72 hours after condomless sex to reduce the risk of bacterial STIs. Studies show it can cut chlamydia and syphilis by roughly 87 to 88 percent and gonorrhea by around 55 percent. In June 2024 the CDC issued clinical guidelines recommending that providers discuss Doxy-PEP with gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and with transgender women who have had a bacterial STI in the past 12 months. The CDC has not yet recommended it for other groups because more research is needed. It is taken only around sexual activity, not daily.