This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Doxy-PEP is a newer way to lower the chance of some bacterial infections after sex. The name is short for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis. You may also see it written as doxypep or doxy pep.

It is a prescription medicine, and it is not right for everyone. This guide explains what the CDC says about it, what research suggests, and which Austin clinics list it. It does not give doses or schedules. A clinician decides those.

What doxy-PEP is

The medicine behind doxy-PEP is doxycycline. It belongs to an antibiotic family called tetracyclines. Antibiotics in this family work by interfering with how bacteria build the proteins they need to grow and multiply.

That is why doxy-PEP works only on bacteria. It has no effect on viruses.

Doxycycline has been used for many years to treat bacterial infections. Doxy-PEP is a different use of it. Instead of treating an infection a person is known to have, a clinician prescribes it as a preventive step after a specific kind of sexual exposure.

The CDC published its doxy-PEP recommendations in 2024. They build on the CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) and on clinical trial results published in the years before.

Who the CDC recommends it for

The CDC's 2024 guidance is specific. It recommends that clinicians offer doxy-PEP to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and to transgender women, who have had a bacterial STI in the past 12 months. The infections counted are syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.

The CDC describes this as a counseling conversation, not an automatic prescription. The clinician and patient talk through benefits, risks, and the person's own situation.

What about everyone else? The CDC says the evidence is not strong enough yet to make a firm recommendation for other groups, such as cisgender women and heterosexual men. The main trials did not show clear benefit in those groups, and fewer people from those groups took part. The CDC says that for these groups, the decision is best made together with a clinician.

If you are unsure which category fits you, a clinician can walk through it without judgment. Everyone is welcome to ask, whatever their gender, orientation, or relationship status.

The 72-hour window

The CDC guidance ties doxy-PEP to timing. It is meant to be taken after condomless oral, vaginal, or anal sex, and the CDC says it should be started within 72 hours of that exposure. The sooner it is taken inside that window, the better the medicine can be expected to work.

That window is the reason people who might use doxy-PEP talk with a clinician ahead of time. The prescription needs to be in hand before it is needed.

The exact amount and how often it can be used are set by the prescriber. Please follow what your clinician and pharmacist tell you, and do not borrow or share leftover antibiotics.

What doxy-PEP may prevent

Research suggests doxy-PEP can lower the number of three bacterial infections:

Syphilis
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea, to a lesser degree

The CDC's 2024 summary of the trials describes the strongest effect for chlamydia and syphilis. The effect for gonorrhea was smaller. Part of the reason is that some gonorrhea bacteria already carry resistance to tetracycline-class antibiotics.

"Lower the chance" is the careful way to put it. Doxy-PEP is not a guarantee, and infections can still happen while using it.

What doxy-PEP does not prevent

This part matters just as much. Doxy-PEP does not protect against:

HIV
Herpes
HPV
Hepatitis B or C
Mpox
Trichomoniasis
Pregnancy

Those are caused by viruses or by organisms the medicine is not designed to address. Condoms, vaccines, HIV PrEP, and regular testing each cover different pieces. The CDC treats doxy-PEP as one tool alongside those, not a replacement for them.

The CDC also says people using doxy-PEP should keep getting regular STI testing, because an infection can still occur and may not cause symptoms. If a test is positive, treatment comes from a clinician. Bacterial STIs and trichomoniasis are curable with the right treatment. HIV, herpes, and HPV are not curable, but they are treatable or manageable.

What research suggests so far

The CDC's 2024 recommendations rest on several randomized trials. Together they suggest that, in the groups studied, people who took doxycycline after sex had notably fewer bacterial STIs than people who did not.

A few cautions apply when reading that research:

The trials were mostly in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and in transgender women. Results may not carry over to other groups.
Most participants were already getting regular care and testing. Real-world results can differ.
The trials ran for a limited time. Long-term effects across a whole community are still being studied.

That last point is why public health agencies are watching doxy-PEP closely. The CDC has asked for ongoing monitoring of how it affects antibiotic resistance.

Safety profile and who should be careful

Doxycycline is a well-known medicine, and the CDC describes it as generally well tolerated. Still, every medicine has trade-offs. Common concerns clinicians discuss include:

Upset stomach or nausea
Irritation of the throat or esophagus if swallowed without enough water
Extra sensitivity to sunlight, which can make sunburn easier

Some people should not take doxycycline, or need a different plan. Pregnancy is one example. Tetracycline-class antibiotics are generally avoided in pregnancy, so anyone who is pregnant or may become pregnant should raise it with a clinician. People with a past allergy to tetracyclines, and people who take certain other medicines, should also say so.

This is not a complete list. A clinician reviews your health history, your current medicines, and your allergies before prescribing. Bring that information to the visit.

The resistance question

Whenever antibiotics are used more widely, bacteria can adapt. The CDC names this as the main open concern with doxy-PEP.

Two kinds of resistance come up in the guidance. One is in the bacteria that cause STIs, especially gonorrhea. The other is in everyday bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, that live on the body without causing harm until they do.

The CDC's position is that the benefits are meaningful for the people it recommends doxy-PEP to, and that monitoring has to continue. That is also why the recommendation is targeted rather than for everyone. Using it only when it is likely to help keeps antibiotic exposure lower.

Do Austin clinics offer it?

Some do. What follows comes from each clinic's own website. Services and rules can change, so call before you go.

CommUnityCare IDEALhealth Program

CommUnityCare's IDEALhealth Program lists "STI/HIV testing and prevention" and DoxyPEP among its services. It is at the Hancock Health Center, 1000 E. 41st St., Suite 700, Austin, TX 78751. The phone number is 512-978-9015.

CommUnityCare says its sliding fee scale is set in a meeting with a Financial Eligibility Specialist. The page does not list a doxy-PEP price, so ask when you call.

Kind Clinic, Austin Koenig

Kind Clinic's Koenig location is at 101 W Koenig Lane, Ste 100, Austin, TX 78751, phone 833-937-5463. Kind Clinic lists doxy-PEP among its services, with an important condition. Its website says it "is not offered as a standalone service or appointment" and that you must be receiving ongoing care at Kind Clinic.

Kind Clinic offers walk-in testing for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV, and hepatitis C at the Koenig location. Its South Austin site does not offer walk-in STI testing. Kind Clinic says patients with health insurance must use it for lab work, and that its Kind Patient Assistance Program (KPAP) can help people who are uninsured or cannot afford lab costs.

Other local options

The Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic at the RBJ Health Center, 15 Waller Street, Austin, TX 78702, lists HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia as its standard tests. Austin Public Health says the fee for testing and treatment is $30. Its page does not list doxy-PEP, so ask the clinic directly. The number is 512-972-5430, and the clinic lists hours of Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Austin Public Health notes its website may be delayed in updates, so confirm hours and fees by phone.

ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness, 3100 Red River St, Suite 3, lists STI counseling, testing, and treatment, plus PrEP and PEP. It does not list doxy-PEP on its services page. ASHwell says its services are always free, though medication can cost something. It does not accept walk-ins, and its number is (512) 900-3116. Its website says STI treatment is only for ASHwell patients.

Vivent Health Austin lists HIV and STI testing and PrEP. Its page does not mention doxy-PEP. The number is (512) 458-2437.

If a clinic does not list doxy-PEP, it can still be worth asking. Some clinicians can prescribe it or point you to someone who does. For a broader look at where to test, see the guide to STD testing in Austin, where to get tested and what it costs.

Why this matters in Travis County

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) data for 2022 show higher rates in Travis County than in Texas as a whole. Travis County had 712.6 chlamydia cases per 100,000 people, compared with 519.9 statewide. Gonorrhea was 351.4 per 100,000 in Travis County and 207.0 statewide. Primary and secondary syphilis was 31.5 per 100,000 in Travis County and 15.5 statewide.

Those numbers describe a community, not any one person. Higher local rates mean regular testing and prevention conversations are useful for sexually active people in Austin. They are not a reason for fear.

Privacy and age in Texas

Under Texas Family Code Section 32.003, a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease. That covers reportable STIs and HIV. Parent or guardian consent is not required.

The same section lets a physician tell a parent or guardian about treatment, with or without the minor's consent. It is permitted, not required. A young person who is worried about this can ask the clinic about its practice before the visit.

Texas DSHS also lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV as notifiable conditions. That means labs and clinicians report cases to public health. Reporting is part of how the state tracks infections and offers partner services.

Questions to bring to a visit

Based on my history, do you recommend doxy-PEP for me?
What are the side effects, and do any of my medicines interact with it?
How often should I be tested while using it?
What will it cost, and does the clinic have a sliding fee or assistance program?
Should I also talk about PrEP, vaccines, or condoms?

Where to start with testing

Doxy-PEP works best as part of a broader plan, and testing is the foundation. Free and low-cost options exist in Austin. The CDC's gettested.cdc.gov lets you find testing sites by ZIP code.

Texas DSHS also runs Test for Texas, a free mail-order at-home program for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Orders are placed at testfortexas.org.

A clinician can explain what any test result means and what comes next.

Doxy-PEP in Austin: Who It Is For and How to Get It