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AIDS
WHEN SHOULD I START TAKING MEDICINES FOR HIV?
Experts agree that people who have certain infections or symptoms should start treatment, but many people with HIV infection do not have symptoms. For these people, it can be hard to know the best time to start taking medicines.
Doctors look at CD4 T-cell counts (a measure of the strength of our immune system) and viral load (amount of HIV in the blood) to help decide when a patient should start taking medicines.
Most experts agree people starting HIV therapy should be mentally and emotionally ready to take their medicines correctly.
This is not easy to do every day. HIV medicines have side effects, and often it is hard to remember to take HIV medicines on time. You and your doctor should discuss when to start treatment.
Taking medicines correctly helps you to fight back against the virus.
Once you start taking HIV medicines, though, it is very important to take them exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
If HIV medicines are not taken properly, it can allow the virus to take over again. This can lead to resistance, which means that the medicines no longer work against HIV. It helps to be informed before you start taking HIV medicines.
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AIDS IS CAUSED BY HIV | BE AWARE OF YOUR HIV STATUS | WILL YOU GET AIDS IF INFECTED WITH HIV? | HOW CAN YOU BECOME INFECTED? |
YOU CAN GET HIV FROM SEXUAL INTERCOURSE | YOU CAN GET HIV FROM SHARING NEEDLES | BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS AND HIV | HOW YOU CANNOT GET HIV |
