Doxy-PEP is a prescription strategy that uses doxycycline after sex to reduce selected bacterial STIs in people for whom the evidence supports it. It is part of ongoing sexual-health care, including tests, vaccination and HIV prevention or treatment. It is not HIV PEP, is not a substitute for PrEP, and does not treat an STI that is already causing symptoms. The decision should weigh benefit, side effects, antibiotic exposure and the limits of current evidence.
Doxycycline inhibits bacterial protein production. Taking it soon after an exposure can prevent some syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. Protection varies, especially where gonorrhea is resistant to doxycycline. It does not prevent viral infections such as HIV, HPV or herpes, and no preventive antibiotic offers complete protection.
CDC recommends discussing doxy-PEP through shared decision-making with gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and transgender women, who had syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea within the previous 12 months. A clinician may discuss it with some people in these populations without a recent STI when exposure risk is substantial. Evidence is insufficient for a routine recommendation across other populations. An individual consultation should not be replaced by an ‘everyone after sex’ instruction.
Discuss STI diagnoses, exposures, current HIV care or PrEP and priorities for prevention. Symptoms or a partner’s diagnosed infection need diagnostic and treatment decisions before a preventive prescription is treated as the answer.
Review tetracycline allergies, pregnancy possibility, current antibiotics, swallowing or esophageal problems and medicines or supplements. Obtain baseline STI testing at exposed sites and HIV assessment appropriate to your prevention or treatment status.
The CDC approach uses a prescribed dose as soon as possible and within 72 hours after sex, with a maximum dose limit over 24 hours. Your clinician gives the exact instructions. Do not add extra doses for reassurance or use leftover antibiotics.
Repeat STI testing and review the need for doxy-PEP every 3–6 months. Earlier assessment is needed for symptoms, a new diagnosed exposure, adverse effects or pregnancy.
Bring prior STI results and a complete list of medicines, vitamins, minerals and antacids. If prescribed, discuss how to carry medication and record when it was taken. CDC advises taking it with food and a full glass of water and avoiding lying down for an hour. Separate it from dairy, antacids and supplements containing calcium, iron or magnesium by at least two hours. Follow the prescribed product instructions and ask about any other antibiotic already in use.
Doxycycline can cause nausea, diarrhea, sun sensitivity and irritation or injury to the esophagus. Seek urgent care for severe allergy or trouble swallowing with severe chest/throat pain, and contact a clinician for severe or bloody diarrhea. Use sun protection. The long-term effects on resistance and the microbiome remain under study; that uncertainty belongs in shared decisions and periodic review, not a promise that repeated use is harmless.
A negative test or the absence of symptoms does not make routine follow-up unnecessary. Tests must reflect exposure sites, including throat or rectum when relevant. If burning, discharge, sores or other symptoms develop, get evaluated instead of taking more preventive doses. A positive STI result needs a treatment course and partner plan separate from doxy-PEP.
Request a doxy-PEP evaluation linked to STI testing and a reachable follow-up clinician. Confirm whether visits, tests and medication are covered under your particular plan. The appointment determines suitability; a booking does not guarantee a prescription. People who do not fit the CDC evidence population still deserve a useful prevention discussion and appropriate screening.
Doxy-PEP is a prescription strategy that uses doxycycline after sex to reduce selected bacterial STIs in people for whom the evidence supports it. It is part of ongoing sexual-health care, including tests, vaccination and HIV prevention or treatment. It is not HIV PEP, is not a substitute for PrEP, and does not treat an STI that is already causing symptoms. The decision should weigh benefit, side effects, antibiotic exposure and the limits of current evidence.
CDC recommends discussing doxy-PEP through shared decision-making with gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and transgender women, who had syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea within the previous 12 months. A clinician may discuss it with some people in these populations without a recent STI when exposure risk is substantial. Evidence is insufficient for a routine recommendation across other populations. An individual consultation should not be replaced by an ‘everyone after sex’ instruction.
Discuss STI diagnoses, exposures, current HIV care or PrEP and priorities for prevention. Symptoms or a partner’s diagnosed infection need diagnostic and treatment decisions before a preventive prescription is treated as the answer.
Review tetracycline allergies, pregnancy possibility, current antibiotics, swallowing or esophageal problems and medicines or supplements. Obtain baseline STI testing at exposed sites and HIV assessment appropriate to your prevention or treatment status.
The CDC approach uses a prescribed dose as soon as possible and within 72 hours after sex, with a maximum dose limit over 24 hours. Your clinician gives the exact instructions. Do not add extra doses for reassurance or use leftover antibiotics.
Repeat STI testing and review the need for doxy-PEP every 3–6 months. Earlier assessment is needed for symptoms, a new diagnosed exposure, adverse effects or pregnancy.
A negative test or the absence of symptoms does not make routine follow-up unnecessary. Tests must reflect exposure sites, including throat or rectum when relevant. If burning, discharge, sores or other symptoms develop, get evaluated instead of taking more preventive doses. A positive STI result needs a treatment course and partner plan separate from doxy-PEP.
If prescribed, doxy-PEP is taken as 200 mg within 72 hours after oral, vaginal or anal sex, with no more than 200 mg per 24 hours. Take it with food and a full glass of water, stay upright for an hour, and separate it by at least two hours from dairy, antacids and supplements containing calcium, iron, magnesium or sodium bicarbonate. Discuss stomach upset, esophageal irritation, sun sensitivity, allergies and interactions. It does not prevent HIV or replace treatment for a positive STI test.
Doxycycline can cause nausea, diarrhea, sun sensitivity and irritation or injury to the esophagus. Seek urgent care for severe allergy or trouble swallowing with severe chest/throat pain, and contact a clinician for severe or bloody diarrhea. Use sun protection. The long-term effects on resistance and the microbiome remain under study; that uncertainty belongs in shared decisions and periodic review, not a promise that repeated use is harmless.
A negative test or the absence of symptoms does not make routine follow-up unnecessary. Tests must reflect exposure sites, including throat or rectum when relevant. If burning, discharge, sores or other symptoms develop, get evaluated instead of taking more preventive doses. A positive STI result needs a treatment course and partner plan separate from doxy-PEP.
Discuss STI diagnoses, exposures, current HIV care or PrEP and priorities for prevention. Symptoms or a partner’s diagnosed infection need diagnostic and treatment decisions before a preventive prescription is treated as the answer.
Review tetracycline allergies, pregnancy possibility, current antibiotics, swallowing or esophageal problems and medicines or supplements. Obtain baseline STI testing at exposed sites and HIV assessment appropriate to your prevention or treatment status.
The CDC approach uses a prescribed dose as soon as possible and within 72 hours after sex, with a maximum dose limit over 24 hours. Your clinician gives the exact instructions. Do not add extra doses for reassurance or use leftover antibiotics.
Repeat STI testing and review the need for doxy-PEP every 3–6 months. Earlier assessment is needed for symptoms, a new diagnosed exposure, adverse effects or pregnancy.
A negative test or the absence of symptoms does not make routine follow-up unnecessary. Tests must reflect exposure sites, including throat or rectum when relevant. If burning, discharge, sores or other symptoms develop, get evaluated instead of taking more preventive doses. A positive STI result needs a treatment course and partner plan separate from doxy-PEP.
Do not assume a preventive dose treats an established infection. Symptoms need examination and tests, and an infection may require a different antibiotic or full treatment course.
CDC-reviewed trials used 200 mg doxycycline within 72 hours after sex. Syphilis and chlamydia infections fell by more than 70%, and gonorrhea by about 50%. Those are study reductions, not a guarantee for an individual exposure. Evidence supports counseling men who have sex with men and transgender women with a bacterial STI in the past year. Evidence for other populations is insufficient. Gonorrhea resistance can limit protection. Doxy-PEP does not prevent HIV, herpes or HPV. Keep STI testing every 3–6 months and the separate HIV prevention plan.
Use doxy-PEP only if a clinician prescribed it after an eligibility and safety review. CDC recommends 200 mg promptly, within 72 hours after oral, vaginal or anal sex. Do not exceed 200 mg in any 24 hours. Follow your prescription. Do not take extra doses for repeated exposures or use leftover antibiotics. Take it with food and a full glass of water. Stay upright for one hour. Separate it from dairy, antacids and supplements containing calcium, iron or magnesium by at least two hours. Symptoms or a positive STI result need assessment and a treatment plan, rather than more preventive doses.
Doxycycline is the antibiotic. Doxy-PEP describes a particular prescribed use of that medicine after sex to reduce certain bacterial STIs. It is not a different drug and is not the same regimen as a full course for an established infection. The clinician checks whether the prevention strategy is appropriate for you and gives the product and use instructions. An old doxycycline prescription for acne or another infection does not establish eligibility for doxy-PEP.
Compare HIV PrEP choices · Daily and injectable options · LGBTQ+ visit planning · Costs and coverage
Bronx
932 E 174th St, Bronx, NY 10460
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves West Farms, Crotona Park East, and nearby Bronx neighborhoods.
Queens
37-15 23rd Ave, Astoria, NY 11105
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Astoria, Ditmars, East Elmhurst, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
Bronx
2063A Bartow Ave, Bronx, NY 10475
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Co-op City, Pelham Bay, Baychester, and nearby Bronx neighborhoods.
Brooklyn
341 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11216
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Long Island
232 W Old Country Rd, Hicksville, NY 11801
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Hicksville, Plainview, Bethpage, and nearby Nassau County communities.
Queens
80-10 Northern Blvd, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
Queens
90-18 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11435
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Jamaica, Briarwood, Richmond Hill, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
Queens
30-07 36th Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, and nearby Queens neighborhoods.
Long Island
135 Mineola Blvd, Mineola, NY 11501
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Mineola, Garden City, Westbury, and nearby Nassau County communities.
Manhattan
259 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves StuyTown, the East Village, Gramercy, and nearby Manhattan neighborhoods.
Brooklyn
308 Graham Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
This clinic can be a starting point for sexual-health evaluation and coordination. Call first to confirm clinician availability, testing needs, and appointment timing; the card does not promise same-day prescribing. Serves Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, and nearby Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Arrange an evaluation to discuss suitable care, preparation and follow-up with a clinician.
Content was updated August 1, 2026 from the sources cited on the information here. Medical guidance, prescribing information, medication availability, and insurance rules can change. A licensed clinician must confirm current information and determine each patient's eligibility, testing, treatment, administration setting, and follow-up. Call 911 for a medical emergency. Contact Nao Medical with a question or correction.