It's possible and reasonable to start HIV drugs at any point in the course of your HIV disease. This is true even if you didn't find out you have HIV until you became ill. Although there's no agreement on the best time to start, it's never too late to start and benefit from therapy.
When should you start HIV treatment?
In fact, U.S. guidelines recommend that people start HIV treatment immediately—including the same day a person is diagnosed, if possible. Until the past 15 years or so, experts used to recommend starting HIV treatment only when a person’s immune health dropped to a certain level.
What happens if you wait too long to start taking HIV meds?
The longer answer is: The more a person waits before starting HIV meds, the greater their risk of having long-term health problems as a result of their HIV. But HIV meds are very powerful, and have helped people recover even when their immune systems are in extremely bad shape.
Is it ever too late to start taking treatment?
All that having been said, it’s never too late to start taking treatment—just as it’s never too late to quit smoking, or to take any number of other steps to improve your health.
Why is it important to take HIV medications early?
Treating HIV early can keep your viral load down and protect your health. Learn more about why taking medication right away is so important. Getting an early start with HIV medication gives your immune system a crucial boost. Malte Mueller/Getty Images
Can late stage HIV be treated?
There is no cure for HIV, but treatment with HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) can slow or prevent HIV from advancing from one stage to the next. HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. One of the main goals of ART is to reduce a person's viral load to an undetectable level.
What happens if you start HIV treatment late?
Recent studies have shown that delaying treatment can increase the chances that people living with HIV will develop AIDS and other serious illnesses. Having an increased chance of immune reconstitution syndrome (can cause worsening of some infections when you begin taking HIV drugs and have few CD4 cells)
Can HIV be treated after 3 years?
Without treatment, a person may develop stage 3 HIV 2–15 years after contracting the infection. The life expectancy after a stage 3 HIV diagnosis is 3 years. However, with effective medication, many people never develop stage 3 HIV, and the incidence of opportunistic infections is much lower than it was in the past.
What is considered late HIV diagnosis?
We defined late diagnosis as having a CD4 count less than 350 within 3 months after diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors influencing late diagnosis.
When is it better to take HIV meds?
The longer answer is: The earlier, the better—because the less time there is between when you become HIV positive and when you begin taking HIV meds, the better off your health will be in the long run.
Why do people delay HIV treatment?
The longer answer is: The mountain of reasons to start taking HIV meds is very high. But starting treatment is also a deeply personal choice, and it’s the beginning of a lifelong commitment. That can bring up a lot of emotions that are hard to navigate, and it can lead some people to want to delay treatment—maybe by a few days, or a few weeks, or as long as possible. Other people may not trust HIV medications or health care providers enough to be comfortable starting treatment, at least not just yet. And still others may be worried about the costs of HIV care, especially if they have limited or no health insurance.
What Medications Should I Start HIV Treatment With?
We have dozens of different medications to treat HIV. How the heck is anyone supposed to figure out which are the right drugs for them?
Why check your key HIV labs?
Checking your key HIV labs to measure the health of your immune system.
What are the long term health issues that HIV can cause?
Lowering the risk of other long-term health issues that HIV can cause, including cancer and heart problems . We've got you covered on the most important info regarding HIV medications, finding mental/social support, working with a health care team, using natural/complementary therapies, and the search for an HIV cure.
What are the benefits of HIV?
Research has shown that today’s HIV medications are extremely good at: 1 Stopping HIV from multiplying inside a person’s body. 2 Making it impossible to transmit HIV to sexual partners. 3 Preventing HIV from ever developing into AIDS. 4 Lowering the risk of other long-term health issues that HIV can cause, including cancer and heart problems.
Where do the recommendations for HIV come from?
In the U.S., our most reputable source of HIV treatment recommendations comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The department convenes a panel of HIV treatment experts—a group of people that includes many of the top HIV care providers and community advocates in the country—who review recommendations regularly and tend to update them at least once every year.
Does HIV cause lymphoma?
People with HIV are at increased risk for cancers like lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma, according to the START trial. But the study found that people with HIV who started treatment with antiretroviral therapy earlier rather than later reduced their risk for Kaposi’s sarcoma.
Does HIV affect the immune system?
But people with HIV have a weakened immune system that leaves them vulnerable to certain opportunistic infections, like thrush. There are more than 20 types of opportunistic infections, and developing one means you’ve transitioned to an AIDS diagnosis. Antiretroviral therapy can raise your CD4 count to help your immune system fight these infections, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
What to tell your health care provider before starting HIV treatment?
Before starting an HIV treatment regimen, tell your health care provider if you have any issues that might make it hard for you to follow an HIV treatment regimen. For example, people who have difficulty swallowing pills or people who do not have health insurance may find it hard to stick to an HIV treatment regimen.
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. Adherence to an HIV treatment regimen reduces the risk of drug resistanceand HIV transmission.
