Starting Treatment for HIV

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is HIV? " пїЅ HIV is the name of a virus that affects the bodys infection-fighting system. Another name for the infection-fighting system is the immune system. People with HIV can get sick more easily than people without HIV. That's because their immune system doesn't work as well to fight off infections or cancer. пїЅ пїЅ

One type of cell in the immune system that helps keep you from getting sick is the "T cell. " пїЅ HIV lowers the number of T cells in your body. When you have lower numbers of T cells, you have a higher chance of getting a serious infection. пїЅ пїЅ

The last stage of HIV infection, when the immune system is at its weakest, is called AIDS. пїЅ пїЅ

How is HIV treated? " пїЅ Doctors treat HIV with medicines called "antiretroviral " пїЅ medicines. There are different types of antiretroviral medicines that work in different ways. Most people take a combination of 3 different medicines each day. Sometimes, the different medicines are combined into 1 or 2 pills. That way, people don't need to take as many pills each day. пїЅ пїЅ

Do I need to take medicines if I have HIV but feel fine? " пїЅ You might. That's because HIV can attack your immune system without you knowing it. пїЅ пїЅ

How can HIV medicines help me? " пїЅ HIV medicines help keep the HIV virus in your body under control. When you take your medicines every day, your T cell count will go up, and the amount of virus in your body (called the "viral load " пїЅ) will go down. That way, your immune system can work better, and you can stay healthy for many years. пїЅ пїЅ

HIV attacks other parts of the body, too, such as the kidneys. HIV medicines can help the kidneys become healthy again. пїЅ пїЅ

HIV medicines can also help when women are pregnant. Pregnant women with HIV can spread the virus to their baby. The medicines lower a woman's chance of spreading HIV to her baby. пїЅ пїЅ

When should I start treatment? " пїЅ You and your doctor will decide when you should start treatment. пїЅ пїЅ

Before you start treatment, your doctor will order blood tests to check your T cell count and viral load. Your doctor might recommend that you start treatment to increase your T cells and lower your viral load. It is especially important to start treatment if your T cell count is low, but your doctor might suggest treatment even if your T cell count is high. пїЅ пїЅ

When you start treatment, your doctor will work with you to find the combination of medicines that is right for you. This will depend on: пїЅ пїЅ

Your blood test results
Your medical conditions
The other medicines you take, including over-the-counter medicines
How many pills you want to take each day
Whether you are thinking about getting pregnant

What else should I know before I start treatment? " пїЅ You should know that: пїЅ пїЅ

Treatment is life-long. Once you start treatment, you need to take your medicines every day for the rest of your life. That's because your HIV can get worse if you skip doses or stop taking your medicines.
The medicines can have short-term and long-term side effects. Let your doctor know if you have any problems or side effects from your medicines.
You need to keep track of when and how to take your medicines. It's important to follow all of your doctor's instructions about treatment. If you take a lot of medicines, you can use a pill box to help you organize your medicines.

What is a clinical trial? " пїЅ A clinical trial is a scientific study that tests new medicines or new combinations of medicines to see how well they work. There are clinical trials for HIV all over the world. To find out more about being in a clinical trial, talk with your doctor. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 16165 Version 4.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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Starting Treatment for HIV

The Basics

Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer

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