KeMRI Uncovers Frightful Side Effects Of Doxycycline PEP

Researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute(KeMRI) have now concluded that side effectsof Doxycycline PEP drug, which is taken after sexual intercourse to prevent STIs are among the key factors discouraging women from taking the medication.

The study is titled ‘Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to Doxycycline Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (dPEP) Adherence among Young Women in Western Kenya’.

The study which sought to find out why fewer women opted to use the Dpep drug uncovered that potential side effects including nausea, dizziness, stomach ache, vomiting, fatigue, and headaches demotivated them from consuming it.

“Taking dPEP sometimes makes me dizzy. If I have to work soon, I avoid taking it because it affects me right away,” said a 25-year-old participant.

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KeMRI carried out the first-ever dPEP study among cisgender women in the nation last year at the Lumumba location in Kisumu.

It saw the enrollment of 449 cisgender women aged 18-30 years who were taking daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and were randomized to receive doxycycline drug. Some 18% of the participants had an STI at the time they joined the trial.

STI burdens among transgender women and men with high STI burdens had been successfully reduced in multiple trials carried out in the United States and France; however, the dPEP Kenya trial did not reduce the STI burden on the participants.

KeMRI spotlighted dPEP detection in hair samples proved that the use of doxycycline was low in the study.

Participants Concerns

The participants have now confessed that other barricades such as Stigma, privacy concerns, routine disruptions, partner influence and reactions, access, and logistical challenges, played a key role in preventing them from taking the drug.

“When I am in a new environment, I start asking myself what will people think when they see me taking dPEP,” 25-year-old participant said.

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According to the statement released by KeMRI last year in December, there were 109 new STIs diagnosed during the study, 50 of which were using the drug during the 12-month follow-up.

Of the new STIs diagnosed 78% of them were chlamydia, 35 among people taking doxycycline PEP, and 50 among standard of care.

“The results from the study are deeply disappointing, and we are committed to understanding why doxycycline PEP wasn’t taken,” said Prof Elizabeth Bukusi, a principal Clinical Research Scientist at KeMRI last year after the study.

“We are actively working to find ways to support adherence that will work for and can be used by women,” he added