Cariprazine as an anti-impulsive treatment in a case series of patients with HIV and chemsex practices

Purpose: Unprotected sex in men who have sex with men is considered the main current mechanism of HIV infection in Westernculture countries. Chemsex refers to the use of different drugs and substances before or during sexual activities to enhance the sexual experience. Men who have sex with men are a population at risk for chemsex practices and chemsex has also been associated with an altered perception of risk, which leads to increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV. Cariprazine, a novel antipsychotic agent has shown promising results in animal models of substance abuse. Design/methodology/approach: We present three patients diagnosed with VIH and chemsex practices who received off-label treatment with cariprazine in addition to their usual medication regimens. Findings: All of the patients showed an improvement in the risk domain of the Maudsley Addiction Profile, a brief interviewer-administered questionnaire that assesses behavioral aspects in patients with substance abuse. None of them referred side effects. Research limitations/implications - Cariprazine could be a therapeutic weapon for the treatment of HIV patients who engage in chemsex practices. Originality/value - This is the first study to examine the off-label use of cariprazine in a population of HIV and chemsex users’ patients. Keywords: HIV; chemsex; slamming; MSM; cariprazine; maudsley addiction Profile.