If you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, go now — an emergency room, an urgent care clinic, your county health department, or your own provider. Say it plainly: "I think I was exposed to HIV and I need PEP." PEP must be started within 72 hours, and the sooner the better[1]. If it's prescribed, you take it every day for 28 days.
The 72-hour clock
CDC states the rule directly: PEP must be started within 72 hours (3 days) after exposure, and the sooner you start PEP, the better — every hour counts[1]. Florida's health department says the same thing in the same words: to be effective, PEP must begin within 72 hours of exposure[3].
So treat this like any other time-limited emergency. Don't wait for a regular appointment, don't wait for an HIV test result, and don't wait for the weekend to end. If you're prescribed PEP, you take it daily for 28 days[1].
Where to go right now
CDC's instruction is to talk right away to your health care provider, an emergency room doctor, or an urgent care provider about PEP if you think you've recently been exposed to HIV[1]. Florida adds county health departments to the list: contact your local hospital emergency room, urgent care clinic, or local county health department for PEP evaluation and treatment[3].
- Emergency room — open now, and the most dependable option overnight or on a weekend.
- Urgent care — faster and cheaper than an ER during business hours; call ahead and confirm they prescribe PEP.
- County health department — ask for the HIV program.
- Community health center — search findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov[7]
- Sexual health or HIV clinic — search locator.hiv.gov for PEP and related services near you[6]
If the first place turns you away, go to the next one. Being told "we don't do that here" is not a clinical answer, and the clock is still running.
What to say, and what happens next
Lead with the timing and the exposure. Say what happened and when — CDC lists sex where a condom broke, sharing needles, syringes, or other injection equipment, sexual assault, and workplace exposure such as a needlestick as the situations PEP is for[1]. Florida distinguishes occupational PEP, for exposures that happen at work, from non-occupational PEP (nPEP), for exposures through sex or injection drug use[3].
Expect an HIV test, questions about the exposure, and — if PEP is appropriate — a starter supply or prescription the same visit. Florida describes the regimen as typically two to three antiretroviral medications taken for 28 days[3]. Side effects like nausea are possible; CDC notes that in almost all cases they can be treated and are not life-threatening[1]. Tell the clinic if they're bad enough that you're thinking about stopping — finishing all 28 days is what makes PEP work.
Paying for it: go first, sort cost after
Do not let cost delay the visit. CDC says that depending on why you're prescribed PEP, you may qualify for free or low-cost PEP medicines. After a sexual assault, you may qualify for partial or total reimbursement for medicines and clinical care costs. After a workplace exposure, your workplace health insurance or workers' compensation will usually pay for PEP[1].
At the clinic, ask two questions out loud: what assistance programs do you have, and can you start me today while the paperwork happens. Manufacturer patient assistance programs exist for HIV medications generally — Gilead's program, for example, may provide its medications at no charge to eligible people[8] — though these are not PEP-specific programs, so ask the clinic to help you apply rather than assuming coverage.
Consultation lines, and what they are not
There is a clinician consultation service for PEP: the PEPline, 1-888-448-4911. It is not a 24/7 line. For occupational PEP it runs 11am–8pm ET, seven days a week; for non-occupational PEP it runs 9am–8pm ET Monday through Friday and 11am–8pm ET on weekends and holidays[2]. It's run through the National Clinician Consultation Center at UCSF, which operates several free provider consultation lines[5].
PEPline exists for clinicians. CDC notes that exposed workers may call it too, but they should seek local medical attention first[1]. The best use of it is to hand the number to the clinician who is treating you.
The line that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is the Perinatal HIV Hotline, 1-888-448-8765, for pregnancy-related HIV questions and urgent perinatal consultation[2]. Florida's HIV/AIDS page lists both numbers — post-exposure prophylaxis consultation at 888-448-4911 and perinatal HIV/AIDS at 888-448-8765[4].
Finally, the follow-up that matters: CDC says PEP is not the right choice for people who may be exposed to HIV frequently and is not a substitute for regular use of other prevention methods — if you've needed PEP once, ask about starting PrEP when you finish the 28 days[1].
Florida: what the state tells you to do
Florida's PrEP & PEP page is direct: if you think you've been exposed to HIV and are in need of PEP, contact your local hospital emergency room, urgent care clinic, or local county health department for PEP evaluation and treatment — and PEP must begin within 72 hours of exposure[3].
To find your nearest county office, use Florida DOH's county health department location finder, which lists every county office in the state[9]. Florida DOH also publishes the consultation numbers on its main HIV/AIDS page: post-exposure prophylaxis at 888-448-4911 and perinatal HIV/AIDS at 888-448-8765[4]. If it's the middle of the night, go to an emergency room — don't wait for an office to open.
Related questions
Is it too late if it's been more than 72 hours?
PEP must be started within 72 hours of exposure to work[1], so past that window it is generally not offered. Go in anyway and let a clinician make the call — and use the visit to get tested and to talk about starting PrEP so you're protected going forward.
Is 1-888-448-4911 available 24/7?
No. The PEPline runs 11am–8pm ET seven days a week for occupational exposures, and 9am–8pm ET weekdays plus 11am–8pm ET weekends and holidays for non-occupational exposures[2]. The 24-hour line is the Perinatal HIV Hotline, 1-888-448-8765[2]. PEPline is also built for clinicians — seek local medical attention first[1].
Will PEP cost me anything?
It may not. CDC says you may qualify for free or low-cost PEP depending on the reason it's prescribed: after a sexual assault, medicines and clinical care may be partially or totally reimbursed, and after a workplace exposure, workplace insurance or workers' compensation will usually pay[1]. Ask the clinic about assistance programs — and start the medication while that gets sorted out.
Can I use PEP every time I have a risky encounter?
No. CDC states PEP is not the right choice for people who may be exposed to HIV frequently and is not a substitute for regular use of other prevention methods[1]. If you're reaching for PEP more than once, PrEP is the tool built for ongoing protection.
Related from RiseUpToHIV
References & Sources
- CDC — Preventing HIV with PEP. PEP must be started within 72 hours and sooner is better ("every hour counts"); talk right away to your provider, an emergency room doctor, or urgent care; 28 days of daily medication; situations covered including condom failure, shared injection equipment, sexual assault, and workplace exposure; side effects usually treatable; cost pathways including sexual-assault reimbursement and workers' compensation or workplace insurance; exposed workers may call PEPline but should seek local medical attention first; PEP is not for frequent exposure and is not a substitute for other prevention. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- CDC — HIV Hotlines and Warmlines (PEPline hours; Perinatal HIV Hotline). PEPline 1-888-448-4911: occupational PEP 11am–8pm ET seven days a week; non-occupational PEP 9am–8pm ET Mon–Fri and 11am–8pm ET weekends and holidays. Perinatal HIV Hotline 1-888-448-8765 operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — PrEP & PEP. PEP must begin within 72 hours of exposure; contact a local hospital emergency room, urgent care clinic, or county health department for PEP evaluation and treatment; occupational versus non-occupational PEP; regimen typically two to three antiretroviral medications for 28 days. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — HIV/AIDS program page. Lists post-exposure prophylaxis consultation at 888-448-4911 and perinatal HIV/AIDS at 888-448-8765. ↩ ↩
- National Clinician Consultation Center (UCSF) — clinician consultation lines. UCSF-based service operating free clinician consultation lines, including post-exposure prophylaxis consultation for providers. ↩
- HIV.gov — HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator. Federal locator for testing, prevention, and care services, usable to find nearby clinics for PEP evaluation. ↩
- HRSA — Find a Health Center. Locator for federally supported community health centers, which operate in every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia. ↩
- Gilead Advancing Access — patient assistance (general, not PEP-specific). Describes patient and medication assistance for Gilead medications for eligible people; the program is not described as a PEP-specific program. ↩
- Florida Department of Health — County Health Department Location Finder. Working statewide finder listing county health department offices across Florida. ↩
Community publications like POZ, Positively Aware, and TheBody inform framing and lived-experience context on RiseUpToHIV. Every clinical, epidemiological, or public-health claim above is anchored to a primary source.