What are the treatments for HIV?

Treating patients with HIV

Drugs (antiretroviral agents) have greatly improved outcomes for HIV-1–infected patients. These drugs can suppress viral levels below limits of detection and improve the immune function of cells. There are several types of antiretroviral drugs. Most people with HIV infection are treated with combinations of different drugs.

Treatments, especially those that include protease inhibitors or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), have greatly improved outcomes for patients with HIV infection. Antiretroviral therapy consists of combinations of medicines that are used to treat HIV. HIV medications can not cure HIV medication but they can help the immune system fight off infections and live longer.

HIV enters cells and duplicates itself. As the amount of virus in your body (called the viral load) increases, you get sick. ART helps you feel better by blocking the chemicals that HIV needs to copy itself. The lower your viral load, the longer you can stay healthy. The goal of therapy is to get your viral load so low that it can't be measured by blood tests. But it is important to remember that even when your viral load is this low, you can still infect other people with HIV.

Why is it so important to take my medicine correctly?

There are many pills involved with ART, and you often need to take them at different times of the day. It can be hard to remember, but you must take at least 95 percent of your pills. For example, if your doctor has prescribed 15 pills per day, you can miss no more than five pills per week.

ART can work very well if you take the medicines the right way. But if you don't take your medicines just the way your doctor tells you to, your HIV might not be exposed to enough medicine to control it. If this happens, the HIV becomes resistant, and the medicines you were taking stop working. Resistance to ART medicines may last forever. There are not many kinds of medicine that can be used to treat HIV. So if you don't take your medicines the right way and your HIV becomes resistant, you can run out of ways to treat your infection.

Do I have to eat or drink something when I take my pills?

Some medicines must be taken with meals, and others must be taken on an empty stomach. The box below shows some ART medicines and whether they should be taken with food or without food. Check with your doctor and pharmacist about your particular medicines.

Some people who take indinavir get kidney stones. If your doctor wants you to take this medicine, you should drink at least 10 cups of water per day to help prevent kidney stones. If you take nelfinavir, acidic foods and drinks like orange juice, apple juice, or applesauce will taste very bitter if you eat or drink them at the same time you take your medicine. If you like to drink grapefruit juice, ask your doctor about it, because it can affect some medicines. And ask your doctor if it's safe for you to have alcoholic drinks. Lopinavir, ritonavir, and saquinavir should be kept in the refrigerator. If they are kept at room temperature, they become weak after a month or two.