Treatment FAQ

what are treatment options hiv

by Velda Purdy Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART
antiretroviral therapy (ART
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is a medication regimen used to manage and treat human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). It is composed of several drugs in the antiretroviral classes of medications.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › books › NBK554533
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. ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV treatment regimen) every day. ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. ART cannot cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.
Aug 16, 2021

Full Answer

How to cure HIV naturally?

  • St. John’s wort likely doesn’t benefit people living with HIV.
  • SAMe could encourage Pneumocystis infection in people with HIV
  • Garlic supplements could hinder how well some HIV drugs, such as saquinavir, work.
  • Cat’s claw has not been studied widely to treat health conditions.

What is the best medicine for HIV?

Medications used to treat HIV are called antiretrovirals (also referred to as ART or ARV). Most people with HIV take combination ART every day. ART also reduces the risk of HIV transmission. Approved ARV treatments are grouped into seven drug classes as follows: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs).

How can I prevent getting or transmitting HIV?

To prevent getting HIV through sex, you can:

  • Choose less risky sexual behaviors. ...
  • Use condoms. ...
  • Talk to your doctor about PrEP. ...
  • Take PEP within 72 hours after a possible HIV exposure. ...
  • Encourage your HIV-positive partner to get and stay on HIV treatment. ...
  • Get tested and treated for other STDs and encourage your partners to do the same. ...
  • Reduce your number of sexual partners. ...
  • Decide not to have sex. ...

More items...

How to optimize HIV treatment?

Current prevention options (such as, oral daily PrEP, once-a-month vaginal dapivirine ring for women, 2-monthly long-acting injectable) along with improved treatment modalities are enhancing the HIV/AIDS arena. Scientific interventions alone will not help ...

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What is HIV treatment?

HIV treatment involves taking medicine that reduces the amount of HIV in your body. HIV medicine is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). There is n...

When should I start treatment?

Start Treatment As Soon As Possible After Diagnosis HIV medicine is recommended for all people with HIV, regardless of how long they’ve had the vir...

What if I delay treatment?

HIV will continue to harm your immune system. This will put you at higher risk for developing AIDS. Learn more about AIDS and opportunistic infecti...

What are the benefits of taking my HIV medicine every day as prescribed?

Treatment Reduces the Amount of HIV in the Blood The amount of HIV in the blood is called viral load. Taking your HIV medicine as prescribed will h...

Does HIV medicine cause side effects?

HIV medicine can cause side effects in some people. However, not everyone experiences side effects. The most common side effects are Nausea and vom...

Will HIV treatment interfere with my hormone therapy?

There are no known drug interactions between HIV medicine and hormone therapy. Talk to your health care provider if you are worried about taking HI...

What if my treatment is not working?

Your health care provider may change your prescription. A change is not unusual because the same treatment does not affect everyone in the same way.

Sticking to my treatment plan is hard. How can I deal with the challenges?

Tell your health care provider right away if you’re having trouble sticking to your plan. Together you can identify the reasons you’re skipping med...

What is the treatment for HIV?

HIV treatment involves taking medicines that slow the progression of the virus in your body. HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, and the combination of drugs used to treat it is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is recommended for all people living with HIV, regardless of how long they’ve had the virus or how healthy they are.

Why do you prescribe HIV?

Your health care provider may prescribe medicines to prevent certain infections. HIV treatment is most likely to be successful when you know what to expect and are committed to taking your medicines exactly as prescribed.

What is drug resistance in HIV?

What Is HIV Drug Resistance? Drug resistance can be a cause of treatment failure for people living with HIV. As HIV multiplies in the body, it sometimes mutates (changes form) and produces variations of itself. Variations of HIV that develop while a person is taking ART can lead to drug-resistant strains of HIV.

How long do HIV side effects last?

Some side effects can occur once you start a medicine and may only last a few days or weeks.

How soon can you start ART for HIV?

Treatment guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that a person living with HIV begin ART as soon as possible after diagnosis. Starting ART slows the progression of HIV and can keep you healthy for many years.

Is HIV treatment a prevention?

There is also a major prevention benefit. People living with HIV who take HIV medication daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partners. This is called treatment as prevention.

Can HIV be drug resistant?

A person can initially be infected with drug-resistant HIV or develop drug-resistant HIV after starting HIV medicines. Drug-resistant HIV also can spread from person to person. Drug-resistance testing identifies which, if any, HIV medicines won’t be effective against your specific strain of HIV.

What is the treatment for HIV?

However, there are many medications that can control HIV and prevent complications. These medications are called antiretroviral therapy (ART). Everyone diagnosed with HIV should be started on ART, regardless of their stage of infection or complications.

What to do if you think you have HIV?

If you think you might have HIV infection, you're likely to start by seeing your family doctor. You may be referred to an infectious disease specialist — who additionally specializes in treating HIV / AIDS.

What test can help determine if you have HIV?

If you receive a diagnosis of HIV / AIDS, several tests can help your doctor determine the stage of your disease and the best treatment, including: CD4 T cell count. CD4 T cells are white blood cells that are specifically targeted and destroyed by HIV. Even if you have no symptoms, HIV infection progresses to AIDS when your CD4 T cell count dips ...

What is HIV RNA?

Viral load (HIV RNA). This test measures the amount of virus in your blood. After starting HIV treatment the goal is to have an undetectable viral load. This significantly reduces your chances of opportunistic infection and other HIV -related complications.

How long does it take to get tested for HIV?

Most rapid HIV tests, including self-tests done at home, are antibody tests. Antibody tests can take three to 12 weeks after you're exposed to become positive. Nucleic acid tests (NATs). These tests look for the actual virus in your blood (viral load). They also involve blood drawn from a vein.

What are some examples of anti-HIV drugs?

Examples include efavirenz (Sustiva), rilpivirine (Edurant) and doravirine (Pifeltro).

How to diagnose HIV?

Diagnosis. HIV can be diagnosed through blood or saliva testing. Available tests include: Antigen/antibody tests. These tests usually involve drawing blood from a vein. Antigens are substances on the HIV virus itself and are usually detectable — a positive test — in the blood within a few weeks after exposure to HIV.

What is the treatment for HIV called?

The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV treatment regimen) every day. ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. People with HIV should start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible.

How does HIV treatment affect the body?

By reducing the amount of HIV in the body, HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. A main goal of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level. An undetectable viral load means that the level of HIV in the blood is too low to be detected by a viral load test.

Why is it important to have less HIV?

Having less HIV in the body gives the immune system a chance to recover and produce more CD4 cells.

How many classes of HIV are there?

There are many HIV medicines available for HIV regimens. The HIV medicines are grouped into seven drug classes according to how they fight HIV. The choice of an HIV regimen depends on a person's individual needs.

How long after HIV infection can you start taking a drug?

(Early HIV infection is the period up to 6 months after infection with HIV.)

Can HIV be treated with ART?

People with HIV should start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible. ART can’t cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. ART also reduces the risk of HIV transmission. A main goal of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level.

Can HIV medications interact with other HIV medications?

HIV medicines can interact with other HIV medicines in an HIV regimen or with other medicines a person is taking . Health care providers carefully consider potential drug interactions before recommending an HIV regimen.

How to treat HIV?

The most effective treatment for HIV is antiretroviral therapy (ART). This is a combination of several medicines that aims to control the amount of virus in your body. Antiretroviral medicines slow the rate at which the virus grows. Taking these medicines can reduce the amount of virus in your body and help you stay healthy.

Why is HIV treatment important?

Treatment is especially important for pregnant women, people who have other infections (such as tuberculosis or hepatitis), and people who have symptoms of AIDS. Research suggests that treatment of early HIV with antiretroviral medicines has long-term benefits, such as a stronger immune system.

What happens if you get HIV late?

If HIV progresses to a late stage, treatment will be started or continued to keep your immune system as healthy as possible. If you get any diseases that point to AIDS, such as Pneumocystis pneumonia or Kaposi's sarcoma, your doctor will treat them.

Why is it important to take a medicine after HIV treatment?

Taking these medicines can reduce the amount of virus in your body and help you stay healthy. After you start treatment, it's important to take your medicines exactly as your doctor tells you. When treatment doesn't work, it is often because HIV has become resistant to the medicine.

How to keep your immune system strong?

Keep your immune system strong by eating right, quitting smoking, and learning how to avoid infection. Monitor your CD4+ (white blood cells) counts to check the effect of the virus on your immune system. See a counselor to help you handle the strong emotions and stress that can follow an HIV diagnosis.

Why do people get medicine for HIV?

Health care workers who are at risk for HIV because of an accidental stick with a needle or other exposure to body fluids should get medicine to prevent infection. Also, medicine may prevent HIV infection in a person who has been raped or was accidentally exposed to the body fluids of a person who may have HIV.

How to get rid of a foodborne infection?

Use condoms whenever you have sex. Learn how to handle food safely so you don't get a food-borne infection. Eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, don't smoke, and don't use illegal drugs.

What is the best treatment for HIV?

Treatment with HIV medicines -- called antiretroviral therapy (ART) -- is recommended for everyone with an HIV diagnosis. Starting treatment early can delay the progression of HIV to AIDS and infectious complications, improve the quality of life, and prolong life expectancy to near normal.

What is the drug used to treat HIV?

fostemsavir. Rukobia. Rukobia (fostemsavir) is a prodrug of temsavir and is classified as a gp120-directed attachment inhibitor. It blocks HIV from attaching to CD4+ T-cells. Rukobia is used in combination with other antiretroviral (ARV) therapies in adults with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection.

What is the role of Trogarzo in HIV?

Trogarzo binds to CD4+ receptors on host T-cells and blocks the HIV virus from entering the cell. Trogarzo, from TaiMed Biologics, was approved in March 2018. It is a first-in-class agent for multidrug-resistant HIV (MDR HIV-1) used in patients who have failed other therapies.

How to protect your partner from HIV?

Early HIV testing, treatment and taking your medication as prescribed each day can help protect your partner, too. Achieving an undetectable viral load can drastically lower the risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner.

How to contact AIDSInfo?

You may also contact them at 1-800-HIV-0440 (1-800-448-0440).

How often should you test for HIV?

Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA) in 2019 from (Eisinger, et al) notes that viral load testing for HIV-positive patients receiving ART should occur every 3 to 4 months after the plasma HIV-1 RNA level becomes undetectable, per HHS guidelines.

Is biktarvy a stand alone drug?

Bictegravir, part of the fixed dose combination drug Biktarvy, is not expected to become available in the U.S. as a stand alone drug. In Jan. 2021, the FDA approved Cabenuva ( cabotegravir and rilpivirine ), a once-monthly, injectable complete regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults.

What is the best treatment for HIV?

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the recommended HIV treatment consists of a regimen of medications called Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) breaks these into five classes of prescription drugs: RT inhibitors, which interfere with the virus’s ability to reproduce.

What does HIV stand for?

According to the government website aids.gov, HIV (which stands for human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that can cause the disease AIDS (which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Being HIV-positive doesn’t necessarily mean you have AIDS, says aids.gov. If you or someone you love is infected with HIV or has developed AIDS, ...

Does Medicare cover AIDS?

There may be some exceptions in coverage, such as medications with the same active ingredient. Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) generally covers all eligible, medically necessary hospital stays, outpatient treatments, doctor visits, tests, and therapies your doctor recommends for AIDS treatment. You may be responsible for Part A and Part B ...

Do you have to have HIV to qualify for Medicare?

You must have HIV/AIDS to qualify, and you must continue to pay your Part B premium if you choose a Medicare Advantage SNP, plus any additional premium s your plan may require. If you would like more information about Medicare and HIV treatment, I’m available to answer your questions.

Can AIDS be diagnosed?

AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, can only be diagnosed by your health-care provider, according to aids.gov. AIDS treatment might begin with the ART regimen recommended for anyone with the HIV virus.

Can you enroll in a AIDS plan during the year?

These plans are structured around the health-care and medication needs of people with HIV/AIDS and may lower your out-of-pocket costs for care. If you are eligible, you may enroll in these plans any time during the year; there is no special enrollment period.

Is HIV a protected class?

Fortunately, almost all antiretrovirals used in HIV treatment are in a protected class, according to the Center s for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This means that under Medicare Part D, all stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans must include these drugs in their plan formularies.

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Diagnosis

Treatment

Clinical Trials

  • Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
See more on mayoclinic.org

Lifestyle and Home Remedies

  • Along with receiving medical treatment, it's essential to take an active role in your own care. The following suggestions may help you stay healthy longer: 1. Eat healthy foods.Make sure you get enough nourishment. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein help keep you strong, give you more energy and support your immune system. 2. Avoid raw meat, eggs and mo…
See more on mayoclinic.org

Alternative Medicine

  • People who are infected with HIV sometimes try dietary supplements that claim to boost the immune system or counteract side effects of anti-HIVdrugs. However, there is no scientific evidence that any nutritional supplement improves immunity, and many may interfere with other medications you're taking. Always check with your doctor before taking any...
See more on mayoclinic.org

Coping and Support

  • Receiving a diagnosis of any life-threatening illness is devastating. The emotional, social and financial consequences of HIV/AIDScan make coping with this illness especially difficult — not only for you but also for those closest to you. But today, there are many services and resources available to people with HIV. Most HIV/AIDSclinics have social workers, counselors or nurses wh…
See more on mayoclinic.org

Preparing For Your Appointment

  • If you think you might have HIV infection, you're likely to start by seeing your family doctor. You may be referred to an infectious disease specialist — who additionally specializes in treating HIV/AIDS.
See more on mayoclinic.org

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