PrEP is short for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis. PrEP helps prevent HIV when taken as prescribed by a clinician.

Less than 10% of people experience side effects on PrEP, and most go away in 1–2 weeks. The most common short-term side effects include nausea, headaches, vomiting and diarrhea.

In a small number of people, long-term use of PrEP can lead to decreases in bone density and kidney function. However, these rare side effects are completely reversable by ceasing to take PrEP.

The fear of side effects shouldn’t hold you back from trying PrEP. Regular testing will ensure that you are doing well while on PrEP, and that any side effects are managed.

If you take PrEP daily, the presence of the medicine in your bloodstream helps stop HIV from taking hold and spreading in your body. PrEP can stop HIV in your bloodstream from replicating by working to eliminate the virus from your body when the original exposure amount dies.

90%+ of Freddie's patients get PrEP for free! Here is how coverage breaks down by province and with Freddie's financial assistance programs:

Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and those in Ontario who are 24 years old or are covered by the Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP): you get free PrEP through provincial coverage with your health card!

Here are the costs for other provinces that Freddie serves:

Ontario

There are two programs for patients who are aged 25+ and need to pay for PrEP:

1. Those with insurance: Our co-pay assistance program reduces the cost of the co-pay to $0 for the vast majority of patients.
2. Those without insurance: We provide support to help reduce the cost of the Trillium Drug Program so that PrEP will either be free or low cost for you depending on your income.

Freddie also provides three months of free PrEP while you wait for your coverage kick in. We're here to support you!

‍

You can read more about Freddie's financial assistance here: https://www.gofreddie.com/about-prep/freddies-new-financial-assistance-programs

For people in other provinces, all except Manitoba have released criteria that, if met, enable you to be fully covered for PrEP. Freddie does not serve provinces outside of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan quite yet but we have plans to launch in the coming months!

‍

The following groups typically need to pay for PrEP:

• Canadian residents without any insurance
• Ontario residents over the age of 24 without private insurance

Freddie's financial assistance programs can benefit all of the categories listed above except Quebec. This is due to Quebec's provincial regulations that don't allow for financial assistance towards prescriptions. Where Freddie's financial assistance is allowed, 90% of our patients get PrEP for $0.

Most people in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and those in Ontario who are 24 years old and younger, or get insurance through Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program qualify for free PrEP through provincial coverage! However, those who live in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and in Ontario and are 25 years old and above generally need to pay for PrEP.

Ontario

There are two programs for patients who are aged 25+ and need to pay for PrEP:

1. Those with insurance: Our co-pay assistance program reduces the cost of the co-pay to $0 for the vast majority of patients.
2. Those without insurance: We provide support to help reduce the cost of the Trillium Drug Program so that PrEP will either be free or low cost for you depending on your income.

Freddie also provides three months of free PrEP while you wait for your coverage kick in. We're here to support you!

You can read more about Freddie's financial assistance here: https://www.gofreddie.com/about-prep/freddies-new-financial-assistance-programs

Before starting PrEP, you will have to do some lab work. After 30 days of being on PrEP, you will have to do some additional lab work to ensure your body is tolerating PrEP. For most patients, this is just a precaution to be fully sure everything is working well. After that initial checkup, you’ll need to get lab work done every three months. Your Freddie provider will walk you through the process.

Lab tests help determine if PrEP is safe for you (and PrEP is safe for almost everyone). Remaining HIV-negative and monitoring kidney health are some of the key areas being screened. An additional benefit of regular testing is STI screening to help ensure your overall sexual health.

Freddie works with trusted pharmacy partners who undergo training on PrEP and the LGBTQ2S+ community. They also waive all dispensing fees and shipping costs where possible for Freddie's patients.

For our Alberta patients
Affirming Care Pharmacy (Alberta)

230-510 5th Street SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 3S2, Canada

Alberta College of Pharmacy License Number: 4180

Phone: 403-226-4411

‍

Mint Health + Drugs (Church Street location for our Edmonton and surrounding area patients)
10631 96 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5H 2J1
Alberta College of Pharmacy License Number: 3405
Phone: (780) 426-7701
‍

For our Manitoba patients

SRx Winnipeg Pharmacy

228F Waterfront Drive Winnipeg, MB R3B 0C5
Phone: (204) 944-1208

‍
‍For our Ontario patients
Affirming Care Pharmacy (Ontario)

2624 Dunwin Dr, Unit #2, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 3T5

Ontario College of Pharmacists Certificate of Accreditation Number: 309132

Phone: (905) 607-6789

For our Saskatchewan patients‍

SRx Saskatoon Pharmacy

110-119 4^th Ave S. Saskatoon, SK S7K 5X2
Phone: (306) 477-7111

Your PrEP will be packaged in a discreet envelope without any branding or mention of its contents. It will be sent with free 1-2 day shipping.

Yes. Freddie takes your privacy extremely seriously and follows strict federal standards. You can access our Privacy Policy here for more details.

When we expect that you have approximately 30 pills remaining we will send you a short health assessment questionnaire that will be reviewed by a Freddie clinician. Once this assessment is complete you'll need to complete some routine lab work. Then you will be able to receive your next prescription!