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The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART), which involves taking a combination of medicines that slow the progression of the virus in your body. This HIV treatment regimen is intended to improve and maintain a person’s health. And while ART can’t cure HIV, the treatment reduces the risk of HIV transmission, if taken as prescribed. In fact, people who adhere to an ART regimen can suppress the virus to the point where it is neither detectible nor transmittable (U=U)! ART is recommended for all people living with HIV regardless of how long a person has had the virus or how healthy they are.
There are various types of medicines that fight HIV. To begin ART, an individual and their doctors must decide on a treatment regimen based on an individual’s needs. This combination of medicines can depend on factors such as one’s health conditions, drug resistance, or the possible side effects.
HIV infects and destroys the infection-fighting white blood cells called CD4 cells of the immune system. Losing too many of these CD4 cells makes it difficult for the body to fight off infections and HIV-related cancers. HIV medicines help to reduce the amount of HIV in one’s body, which is referred to as the viral load. Reducing the viral load gives the immune system a chance to recover and produce more CD4 cells, which help defend the body from infections.
The primary goal of HIV treatment is to reach an undetectable viral load, which means that the level of HIV in the blood is low enough that it is not detected by a viral load test. When the virus cannot be detected, it cannot be transmitted (U=U).
While HIV medicine has improved and serious side effects are less likely to occur than in previous years, people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) may still experience side effects. Side effects and their duration can vary for each type of ART medicine and from person to person. Women may also experience different side effects than men.
Some of the most common side effects for HIV medication include:
If these side effects become severe, individuals should talk to their doctor or health provider before they miss any doses or stop taking the medications. If a person skips doses, the virus can start copying itself again. This can lead to drug resistance, which can harm the individual’s health and limit future treatment options.
Learn more about the possible side effects of ART and ways to manage them at: aidsinfo.nih.gov or healthline.com.
In certain cases, it may be necessary to change your HIV treatment due to a number of reasons. For example, side-effects may become unmanageable, the medicines may not be keeping your viral load down, or you may experience drug resistance due to interactions with other medicines you take.
Do not stop taking your medicine without speaking with your doctor first. Talk to your health provider about options for a new treatment regimen if your current HIV treatment is not working or you find it difficult to take consistently. To determine whether your treatment is working, it is important to measure the viral load, or the amount of HIV in a person’s blood.
You should talk to your doctor or health provider about when to switch your HIV treatment. Here are a few general rules about when to switch treatment regimens:
Learn more about when and how to switch treatments at: poz.com.
The content for this page was compiled from several public information sources. We would like to thank and give credit to the following sources:
What is Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and how will it impact my well-being?
Will I have any side effects after my treatment?
How can I change my HIV treatment?
How do I know when to switch?