Finished PEP but still struggling with anxiety, need some advice

Hi everyone. I just want to share my experience and hopefully get some support from people who went through something similar.

My exposure happened on 17 June 2026. It was oral sex and deep kissing with a transgender woman. There was no anal or vaginal sex.

I started PEP about 41 hours after the exposure and completed the full 28 days without missing any dose. My medication was TDF/FTC + Efavirenz.

The medical part was actually not the hardest for me. The hardest part was my anxiety. Since the exposure, I have been constantly thinking about HIV, searching online, checking my body for symptoms, and imagining worst-case scenarios.

My anxiety became so bad that I went to see a psychiatrist. The doctor explained that my brain was stuck in a "danger mode" and that anxiety can create many physical feelings. I started Sertraline 25mg and I am still waiting for it to work because I only recently started.

I also talked to an HIV NGO and they told me my risk was very low because there was no anal/vaginal exposure. My gonorrhea and chlamydia tests were negative too.

Even after doing everything correctly, I still feel scared sometimes. My logical brain understands the risk is low, but my anxiety keeps asking "what if I am the rare case?"

For anyone who experienced PEP anxiety or health anxiety, how did you manage the waiting period and stop your mind from constantly looking for danger?

Thanks everyone.

#translated with ai. English is not my first language