How Often Do I Need To Take Hiv Medication
Its important to be diligent about taking medication every day and exactly as prescribed for the treatment regimen to work properly. Its useful to ask your doctor about strategies for sticking to your treatment plan. Some common tips include using a dedicated calendar or setting a daily reminder on your phone.
Missing doses of medication, or only taking it occasionally, increases the risk of drug resistance. This will reduce the effectiveness of the medications and may cause the condition to worsen.
Traveling And Taking Hiv Drugs: Tips For People With Hiv
Submitted on Dec 13, 2021
Many of the newer HIV drugs have fairly easy dosing schedules. Compared to the “old days” when people living with HIV took handfuls of pills three and four times a day, some people now can take one or two pills just once or twice a day.
Whether you are taking one pill or several, from home or from an exciting travel destination, it is still important to stick to your assigned dosing schedule. Traveling with your HIV drugs and staying on your schedule can seem hard or scary at first, but HIV should not prevent anyone who needs to travel for work or wants to see old friends or new places from doing so. And once you get the hang of it, it can be quite easy to manage your medications while you are on the road.
Hiv Medicines Prevent Mother
It is important for pregnant women with HIV to continue to take their HIV medication as prescribed by their doctor.
Most HIV medicines are safe to use during pregnancy. HIV medicines slow down the growth and multiplication of the HIV virus in the body and have reduced the rate of mother-to-child transmission of the virus in the U.S and Europe to less than 1%.
Babies born to women with HIV also receive HIV medicine for 4 to 6 weeks after birth. HIV medicine reduces the risk of infection from any HIV that may have entered a babys body during childbirth.
Recommended Reading: Can Hiv Cause Heart Problems
What Are The Other Possible Side Effects Of Truvada
Serious side effects of TRUVADA may also include:
- Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys before and during treatment with TRUVADA. If you develop kidney problems, your healthcare provider may tell you to stop taking TRUVADA.
- Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking TRUVADA.
- Bone problems, including bone pain, softening, or thinning, which may lead to fractures. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your bones.
- Too much lactic acid in your blood , which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.
- Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.
Is It Ok To Switch Between Daily Prep And On
On-demand PrEP is only for cis-gender MSM. Other individuals are not eligible for on-demand PrEP because studies have not demonstrated that it is effective for other populations. Before switching from daily PrEP to on-demand PrEP, or vice versa, a cis-gender MSM should consult with their healthcare provider.
Recommended Reading: Can You Sue Someone For Infecting You With Hiv
What Happens After I Take Pep
You need to visit your nurse or doctor for follow-up testing after you finish PEP. Youll get another HIV test 4-6 weeks after you were first exposed to HIV, and then youll be tested again 3 months later. Depending on your situation, your doctor may recommend another HIV test 6 months later.
Its really important to get these follow-up tests to make sure PEP worked. In the meantime, keep protecting yourself and others from HIV by using condoms when you have sex, and not sharing needles or works.
What Is Viral Suppression
Antiretroviral therapy keeps HIV from making copies of itself. When a person living with HIV begins an antiretroviral treatment regimen, their viral load drops. For almost everyone who starts taking their HIV medication daily as prescribed, viral load will drop to an undetectable level in six months or less. Continuing to take HIV medications as directed is imperative to stay undetectable.
Recommended Reading: How Quickly Do Hiv Tests Come Back
I Can’t Always Afford My Meds
Not all interruptions in treatment are based on things that you can control, especially when it comes to your cash flow. Whether you have lost your job and with it your health insurance you never had health insurance you don’t qualify for government assistance you were booted to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list or your insurance doesn’t cover the entire cost of your meds, being able to pay out of pocket can cost thousands a month. Those who don’t have that kind of cash may find themselves going without.
This issue may not be fixable, but talk to your provider about patient assistance programs to see what your next steps should be.
Traveling Outside The Us
Do a little research about your destination. If you are going to another country, check if there are restrictions about visitors living with HIV or traveling with medications. You may also want to take a set of written prescriptions.
If you travel to areas without a consistent safe water supply, you may be at a greater risk of getting cryptosporidiosis from contaminated food and water. The following are more likely to be contaminated:
- raw fruits and vegetables
- tap water or ice made from tap water
- unpasteurized milk or dairy products
- items purchased from street vendors
Talk to your health care provider about other precautions you may want to take when you travel abroad . Often, getting vaccinated for hepatitis A is a good idea, if you have not been vaccinated already.
Depending on where you are traveling to, you may need to see a doctor before you travel in order to get medicines you may need to prevent infections, such as malaria, and receive required vaccines that are not available at your regular health care provider. You will need to take these treatments more than a month ahead of time in order for them to work during your travel. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of recommended vaccinations for adults living with HIV.
Also Check: How Do Males Get Hiv From Females
Preventing Hiv With Medication
-
Human immunodeficiency virus is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome .
- How is HIV passed from person to person?
HIV is passed through contact with an infected persons body fluids, such as semen, vaginal fluid, or blood. This can happen during sex or by sharing needles used to inject illegal drugs.
If you’re pregnant and have HIV, you can pass the virus to your fetus during labor. If youre breastfeeding and have HIV, you can pass the virus to your baby.
- How does HIV affect the body?
Once HIV is in your body, it attacks the immune system. As the immune system weakens, it is less able to resist disease and infections.
AIDS is diagnosed when a person infected with HIV develops diseases that the immune system would normally fight off. These diseases include pneumonia, certain types of cancer, and harmful infections.
- How is HIV infection treated?
There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be treated. Medications are available that can help people with HIV stay healthy for a long time. The earlier treatment is started, the better for your long-term health. Early treatment also reduces your risk of giving the virus to uninfected sex partners.
- Should I be tested for HIV?
It’s important to be tested for HIV at least once during your lifetime. HIV testing is also recommended if you are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant.
Hiv And Aids Medication
2-minute read
There is no cure for HIV and AIDS, but medicines can help. Many people with HIV live long and relatively healthy lives.
HIV damages your immune system by attacking blood cells that help fight infection.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is the condition that develops if HIV is not treated.
The medications used to fight HIV are called antiretrovirals. They work to stop the virus multiplying. This helps to protect your immune system from damage caused by HIV.
The medications used to treat HIV and AIDS may be similar.
If your immune system has already been damaged, treatment can help stop further damage and even allow the immune system to partly repair itself.
Don’t Miss: How To Protect Myself From Hiv
Tips To Take Your Meds On Schedule
Try these simple fixes to help you stick to your HIV treatment plan:
Make sure you know how to take your meds. Ask your pharmacist any questions about how and when to take your HIV meds. Your prescription insert will list how often to take a pill, and whether you need to take it on an empty stomach or with food.
If you find it difficult to stick to your HIV treatment, let your doctor know right away. If your meds cause side effects, the doctor may be able to adjust your dose or suggest foods to eat when you take your pills. Your doctor can also offer ways to make it easier to swallow your pills. If your work schedule is erratic or youâre away from home a lot, you might be able get extra doses so youâll have your medicine at home and in the office.
Create a schedule. Create a simple timeline on paper or your computer. List when you should take each pill each day. If you need to take some meds with food, list your daily meals and pills you take with those meals.
Pair pill time with daily events. If you just need to remember to take a pill at a certain time of day, pair taking the pill with an activity you usually do at the same time each day, like taking a shower, brushing your teeth, or reading the news.
Write it on the wall. On a printed or dry erase wall calendar, write down the times of day when youâre supposed to take your meds. List reminders to refill your meds ahead of time, so you donât run out.
Show Sources
Stages Of Hiv Infection
The stages of infection from person to person vary slightly, both in severity and the speed of progression. These stages map the depletion of immune cells as the body’s defenses further and further degrade.
With each progression, the risk of opportunistic infections increases until the immune system is said to be fully compromised. It is at this stage that the risk of illness and death is particularly high.
The stages of infection can be roughly classified as follows:
Recommended Reading: Can You Breastfeed With Hiv
How Is Hiv Treated
Australians can live well with HIV. Treatments have changed over time, dramatically improving the quality and length of life for someone who is HIV positive.
It is also important to have a strong support network. Evidence suggests that involving others can improve your mental health and wellbeing and help you maintain treatment.
What Are The Side Effects Of Antiretrovirals
People who use antiretrovirals can have side effects such as high cholesterol, high blood sugar, liver or kidney damage, bleeding, anaemia, sleep problems, nausea, loss of appetite and rash.
Not everyone has side effects from their drugs and not everyone will have the same side effects.
Another possible side effect is resistance to medication, which means the medication isnt working as well as it should.
You can lower the chance of resistance to medication by choosing effective medication, by not missing doses and by using a combination of medications instead of just one.
Please tell your doctor if you have any symptoms you are concerned about rather than stopping your medication on your own.
Read Also: Why Do Hiv Patients Lose Weight
Adherence To A Treatment Plan
Antiretroviral drugs must be taken at the right time and in the right way for them to work properly. Taking these medications the way a healthcare professional has prescribed is called adherence.
Sticking to a treatment plan isnt always easy. Antiretroviral drugs can cause side effects that can be severe enough to make some people stop taking them.
But if a person with HIV skips doses of these drugs, the virus can start copying itself in their body again. This could cause HIV to become resistant to the drugs. If that happens, the drug will no longer work, and that person will be left with fewer options to treat their HIV.
Read on to learn more about antiretroviral drug side effects, and how to manage them and stick to a treatment plan.
I Prefer Sex Without A Condom So I Don’t Always Use Them Would Prep Still Work To Prevent Hiv If I Don’t Use Condoms
If a person takes the PrEP medication consistently as directed, it provides a high level of protection against HIV. Condoms provide protection against sexually transmitted infections . People who are on the PrEP medication but are not using condoms may be exposed to an STI. It is important to be aware that having an STI can increase a persons chance of getting HIV if exposed to the virus. Some STIs dont have symptoms or symptoms may disappear on their own for periods of time. If you are not using condoms regularly, it would be especially important to have regular testing for STIs and to get treated as soon as possible if you have an STI. Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea should include swabs of a persons genitals, rectum and mouth. Learning about the signs and symptoms of STIs is helpful in identifying whether you or one of your partners has an STI. Condom use is recommended but choosing to not use condoms routinely should not prevent you from being prescribed PrEP.
Also Check: Can Hiv Positive Get Green Card
What Happens When Im On Pep
PEP isnt just a one-time pill its a regimen where you take many pills over many weeks. If your nurse or doctor gives you PEP, youll need to take medicine 1-2 times a day for at least 28 days . Its important that you take every pill as directed and dont skip doses, otherwise PEP may not work as well.
PEP isnt 100% effective, and it wont prevent future HIV infections like PrEP can. So its important to keep protecting yourself and others from HIV while youre on PEP. Use condoms every time you have sex. If you inject drugs, dont share needles or works. This helps protect you from being exposed to HIV again. And it lowers the chances of giving HIV to others if you do have it
If you develop symptoms like a fever or rash while using PEP, talk with your doctor. These may be signs of the beginning stages of HIV.
Dont Miss: When Was The First Case Of Hiv
How To Take Hiv Medicines
Highly active antiretroviral medicines are used to help treat human immunodeficiency virus . They are used in combination to help fight infections. This combination of antiretroviral medicines is often referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy . If you have HIV, HAART will not cure you. However, it can help you fight off infections and live a longer life. But you must take medication as prescribed and stay on a schedule.
HIV attacks your body by entering cells and copying itself. As the amount of virus in your body increases, you get sick because your body has a hard time fighting off infections. HAART helps you feel better by keeping your viral load low. The lower your viral load is, the longer you can stay healthy. The goal of therapy is to get your viral load so low that it cant be measured by blood tests. But its important to remember that even when your viral load is this low, you can still potentially pass HIV to other people.
Recommended Reading: How To Know If You Have Hiv Male
What Are Antiretroviral Drugs
The main treatment for HIV is a class of drugs called antiretrovirals. These drugs dont cure HIV, but they can reduce the amount of virus in the body of someone living with HIV. This keeps the immune system strong enough to fight off disease.
Today, more than 40 antiretroviral drugs are approved to treat HIV. Most people who treat their HIV will take two or more of these drugs each day for the rest of their lives.
Know That If One Regimen Doesnt Suit There Are Other Options
There are many different types of medicines used in various combinations to treat HIV. Newer HIV drugs have far fewer side effects than older HIV drugs, and experts have named a few recommended regimens based on how effective a drug is, how many side effects it has and how often it needs to be administered .
If you are new to HIV treatment, your doctor will probably start you on one of these recommended regimens. But know that there are alternatives that your doctor can discuss with you if you find that particular regimen hard to tolerate.
In March 2018, Trogarzo was approved by the FDA. This is a welcome addition for people who have multidrug-resistant HIV and who have run out of other treatment options. Trogarzo is given once every 14 days by injection in addition to other antiretroviral drugs.
Also Check: How Do You Know You Have Hiv Aids