Medicines to Treat HIV
There are many different types of medicines to treat HIV. These medicines are called antiretrovirals. They are grouped into classes. Each class works in a different way to help fight HIV. Healthcare professionals usually recommend medicines from 2 or more classes to fight HIV.
This is called Antiretroviral Therapy, or ART. Your healthcare professional will determine the right combination of medicines to treat your HIV.
-
Visit your healthcare professional regularly when taking HIV medications
- Talk to your healthcare professional before stopping or changing any of the HIV medicines you are taking
- Talk to your healthcare professional about the results of your CD4+ cell count and viral load tests and what they mean
Take HIV medicines exactly as directed because if they are not taken as prescribed, or if you miss a dose or if you stop treatment this can cause the viral load to increase or can cause drug resistance.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV):
The virus that causes AIDS.
Antiretroviral Therapy (ART):
Treatment regimens that stop or slow the HIV virus from copying itself and keep HIV disease from progressing. The usual ART regimen combines 2 or more HIV drugs from at least 2 different classes.
CD4+ Cell:
A type of white blood cell that fights infections. The more CD4+ cells a person has, the healthier their immune system is. HIV infects and kills CD4+ cells, weakening the immune system.
Dose:
The amount of a medicine that should be taken during a given time period.
Viral Load:
The amount of HIV found in a blood sample. When viral load goes up or down, your healthcare professional
can get an idea of how well treatment is working.
