what medications to take during hiv treatment

The following are the different drug types currently used in treatment regimens for HIV: nucleoside and nucleotide analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) nonnucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) protease inhibitors fusion inhibitors CCR5 antagonists integrase strand transfer inhibitors, and entry inhibitors

Full Answer

What is the best HIV medication?

The FDA approved Apretude (cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV in December. Administered as an injection every other month, Apretude gives people at risk of contracting HIV a PrEP alternative to taking daily pills. Despite decades of research, there is still no vaccine against HIV.

What medications are used to treat HIV?

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 help keep your viral load low and your CD4 cell count high.
• HIV medicine can make the viral load very low (called viral suppression ). ...
• HIV medicine can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (called an undetectable viral load ).

More items...

What is the most effective treatment for HIV?

• HIV medicine is called antiretroviral therapy (ART).
• There is no effective cure for HIV. But with proper medical care, you can control HIV.
• Most people can get the virus under control within six months.
• Taking HIV medicine does not prevent transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases.

What is the newest HIV medication?

These inhibitors include:

• Entacapone
• Tolcapone
• Entacapone-levodopa
• Opicapone

What is the best medication for 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.

How many medications do HIV patients take?

A person's initial treatment regimen generally includes three HIV medicines from at least two different drug classes that must be taken every day. Many people with HIV take two or more different HIV medicines combined in one pill. There are many options of these combination medicines available.

What are the three medications for HIV?

The seven HIV drug classes are:Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)Protease inhibitors (PIs)Fusion inhibitors.CCR5 antagonists.Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)Post-attachment inhibitors.

Can I clean my stomach while on ARVs?

In general, yes. Short-term use of laxatives should be ok with your HIV medications.

How many times a day should one take ARVs?

A person receiving HIV treatment usually takes two or more tablets every day. Each drug attacks the virus differently, and the combination is key. A person following an STR takes a daily pill that contains a combination of two or more antiretroviral drugs.

Which are the 5 antiretroviral drugs?

Currently, there are eight FDA-approved NRTIs: abacavir (ABC, Ziagen), didanosine (ddI, Videx), emtricitabine (FTC, Emtriva), lamivudine (3TC, Epivir), stavudine (d4T, Zerit), zalcitabine (ddC, Hivid), zidovudine (AZT, Retrovir), and Tenofovir disoprovil fumarate (TDF, Viread), a nucleotide RT inhibitor (Fig.

What is the name of the new ARV pill?

Early results from people taking a new antiretroviral medication called lenacapavir are promising. The long-acting drug is still at the research stage, but if the developers are able to pair it effectively with other drugs that also only needs to be taken twice a year, it could revolutionise HIV treatment.

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...

Why is it important to take HIV medication?

Taking your HIV medication daily is also important because skipping doses makes it easier for HIV to change form, causing your medication to stop working. This is called drug resistance. HIV can become resistant to your medication and to similar medications that you have not yet taken.

How does HIV medication work?

Taking your HIV medication daily as prescribed provides many benefits. Among them, it: 1 Allows the HIV medication to reduce the amount of HIV in your body (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This is called viral suppression. If the viral load is so low that it doesn’t show up in a standard lab test, this is called having an undetectable viral load. Getting and keeping an undetectable viral load is the best thing you can do to stay healthy. 2 Helps protect your partners. If you take HIV medication every day, exactly as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load, you have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex. This is called Treatment as Prevention

How to stay healthy with HIV?

Getting and keeping an undetectable viral load is the best thing you can do to stay healthy. Helps protect your partners. If you take HIV medication every day, exactly as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load, you have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.

What is it called when HIV is low?

Allows the HIV medication to reduce the amount of HIV in your body (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This is called viral suppression. If the viral load is so low that it doesn’t show up in a standard lab test, this is called having an undetectable viral load.

What to do if you miss a lot of medication?

If you find you miss a lot of doses, talk to your health care provider or pharmacist about ways to help you remember your medicines. You and your health care provider may even decide to change your treatment regimen to fit your health care needs and life situation, which may change over time.

Can you get sick from taking HIV medication?

Taking your HIV medication every day, exactly the way your health care provider tells you to will help keep your viral load low and your CD4 cell count high. If you skip doses, even now and then, you are giving HIV the chance to multiply rapidly. This could weaken your immune system, and you could become sick.

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.

Why is it important to take HIV medication?

Taking HIV medication consistently, as prescribed, helps prevent drug resistance. Drug resistance develops when people with HIV are inconsistent with taking their HIV medication as prescribed. The virus can change (mutate) and will no longer respond to certain HIV medication. If you develop drug resistance, it will limit your options ...

How long does it take to get rid of HIV?

There is no effective cure for HIV. But with proper medical care, you can control HIV. Most people can get the virus under control within six months. Taking HIV medicine does not prevent transmission ...

What does it mean when your HIV is suppressed?

Viral suppression is defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood. HIV medicine can make the viral load so low that a test can’t detect it (called an undetectable viral load ). If your viral load goes down after starting HIV treatment, that means treatment is working.

What is the amount of HIV in the blood called?

The amount of HIV in the blood is called viral load . Taking your HIV medicine as prescribed will help keep your viral load low and your CD4 cell count high. HIV medicine can make the viral load very low (called viral suppression ). Viral suppression is defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood.

How long does it take for a mother to give her baby HIV?

If a mother with HIV takes HIV medicine as prescribed throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery and gives HIV medicine to her baby for 4 to 6 weeks after birth, the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby can be 1% or less.

What to do if substance use is interfering with your ability to keep yourself healthy?

If substance use is interfering with your ability to keep yourself healthy, it may be time to quit or better manage it. If you need help finding substance use disorder treatment or mental health services, use SAMHSA’s Treatment Locator. external icon. .

Does HIV harm the immune system?

HIV will continue to harm your immune system. This will put you at higher risk for developing AIDS. Learn more about AIDS and opportunistic infections. This will put you at higher risk for transmitting HIV to your sexual and injection partners.

How to remind HIV patients to take their medication?

Your medicine will be ready when you need it, and you won’t run out. Ask a family member or friend to encourage you and give you a daily phone call, text, or email to remind to take your HIV medication. Continue to see your health care provider regularly.

Why do people take HIV medication every day?

That’s because HIV treatment involves taking HIV medication every day, exactly as prescribed to lower the amount of HIV in your body (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This is called viral suppression.

How to remember if you took HIV medication?

Try a weekly or monthly pill box with compartments for each day of the week to help you remember whether or not you took your medicine that day. Set an alarm on your clock, watch, or phone for the time you take your HIV medication. Keep a daily log or use a calendar to keep track of the days you have taken your HIV medication.

Can HIV be transmitted through sex?

There is also a 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 transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner through sex.

Can you keep medications at work?

But make sure you talk to your health care provider—some medications are affected by extreme temperatures, and it is not always possible to keep medications at work. Being sick or depressed.

Is it harder to take HIV medication?

Some people find that taking their HIV medications becomes harder over time. Every time you see your health care provider, make it a point to talk about staying adherent to your medications. Your health care provider will help you identify barriers to keeping up with your HIV medication regimen and ways to address those barriers.

What is the drug used to treat 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: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)

What is the next stage of HIV?

The next stage of HIV infection is called clinical latent infection. Generally, there are few signs or symptoms during this stage which may last approximately 10 years, although some people may develop persistent swelling of the lymph nodes or more severe disease sooner. HIV persists in the bloodstream and white blood cells.#N#Infections start to become more common as the virus continues to multiply and destroy your immune cells. Signs and symptoms of symptomatic HIV infection include: 1 Fever 2 Fatigue 3 Diarrhea 4 Weight loss 5 Yeast infection (eg, oral thrush) 6 Shingles 7 Swollen lymph nodes.

What does HIV stand for?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is a virus that attacks the immune system, specifically CD4 cells (also called T cells), which eventually reduces a person’s ability to fight infection. HIV can progress to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) if left untreated.

What are the symptoms of HIV?

Signs and symptoms of symptomatic HIV infection include: Fever. Fatigue. Diarrhea. Weight loss. Yeast infection (eg, oral thrush) Shingles. Swollen lymph nodes.

How long does it take for HIV symptoms to show?

The symptoms of HIV and AIDS vary, depending on the phase of infection. When you first acquire HIV it may take a month or two before symptoms show and these may last a week or two. Even then these may easily be confused with another type of viral illness, such as the flu, or so mild as not to be noticed initially.

How long does HIV last?

Generally, there are few signs or symptoms during this stage which may last approximately 10 years, although some people may develop persistent swelling of the lymph nodes or more severe disease sooner. HIV persists in the bloodstream and white blood cells.

How is HIV spread?

It is spread sexually, and by contact with infected blood, from mother to child during pregnancy, during childbirth, or through breast-feeding. People have a higher risk of contracting HIV if they: Have sex.

What is the best treatment for HIV?

Treatment with HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) is recommended for everyone with HIV. HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and reduce the risk of HIV transmission.

Why is it important to start taking HIV medicine?

To reduce their viral load, it’s important for people with HIV to start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible. Starting HIV medicines right away is especially important for people with HIV who have certain conditions.

Why is medication adherence important?

Medication adherence is key to maintaining an undetectable viral load, which protects the immune system and reduces the risk of HIV transmission. Before starting HIV treatment, it’s important to talk to your health care provider about any issues that can make adherence difficult.

Why should pregnant women take HIV?

AIDS-defining conditions. Pregnancy. All pregnant women with HIV should take HIV medicines to protect their health and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. All pregnant women with HIV should start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible during pregnancy. In most cases, women who are already on an effective HIV regimen when they become ...

Can you get HIV while pregnant?

Women with HIV who become pregnant and are not already taking HIV medicines should start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible. The risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy and childbirth is lowest when a woman with HIV has an undetectable viral load. Maintaining an undetectable viral load also helps keep ...

Does HIV medicine reduce the risk of transmission?

In addition, starting HIV medicines during early HIV infection reduces the risk of HIV transmission. AIDS-defining conditions. AIDS-defining conditions are certain infections and cancers that are life-threatening in people with HIV.

What is the HIV medicine called?

Women who are not taking HIV medicines or who have a high viral load (more than 1,000 copies/mL) or an unknown viral load near the time of delivery should receive an HIV medicine called zidovudine (brand name: Retrovir) by intravenous (IV) infusion.

What is the purpose of prenatal care for HIV?

Prenatal care for women with HIV includes counseling on the benefits of continuing HIV medicines after childbirth. HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Together with their health care providers, women with HIV make decisions about continuing or changing their HIV medicines ...

What is HIV undetectable?

HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying, which reduces the amount of HIV in the body (called the viral load ). An undetectable viral load is when the level of HIV in the blood is too low to be detected by a viral load test. The risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV during pregnancy and childbirth is lowest when a woman with HIV has an ...

How does HIV affect a child's life after birth?

After birth, babies born to women with HIV receive HIV medicine to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Several factors determine what HIV medicine they receive and how long they receive ...

Can you take HIV during pregnancy?

Most HIV medicines are safe to use during pregnancy. In general, HIV medicines don’t increase the risk of birth defects. When recommending HIV medicines to use during pregnancy, health care providers consider the benefits and risks of specific HIV medicines for women and their unborn babies.

Can a woman with HIV have a C section?

Of course, regardless of her viral load, a woman with HIV may have a C-section for other medical reasons. With the help of their health care providers, women can decide which HIV medicines to use during childbirth and whether they should have a scheduled C-section to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Can pregnant women take antiretrovirals?

Yes. All pregnant women with HIV should take HIV medicines during pregnancy for their own health and to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. (HIV medicines are called antiretrovirals .) Mother-to-child transmission of HIV is also called perinatal transmission of HIV. HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying, ...