When to Start Anti-HIV Medications
When to Start Anti-HIV Medications
I just tested HIV positive. When will
I start
treatment?
Antiretroviral therapy (ART)
is recommended for all
people infected with HIV.
ART involves taking a
combination of anti-HIV
medications (a regimen) every
day. ART is a lifelong
treatment.
When to start anti-HIV
medications (also called antiretrovirals) is a decision you will
make with your health
care provider. You and
your health care provider will consider
the following factors:
•
How well your immune
system is working (CD4 count)
•
e amount of HIV in your
blood (viral load)
•
Whether you have an
HIV-related illness or AIDS
•
Whether you’re pregnant
•
Your ability and
willingness to commit to lifelong
treatment
Can anti-HIV medications really help?
Yes. Anti-HIV medications
can’t cure HIV, but treatment
can improve your quality
of life and help you live longer.
HIV attacks and destroys
the infectionghting CD4 cells of
the body’s immune system.
Loss of CD4 cells makes it hard
for the body to ght
infection. Anti-HIV medications can
prevent HIV from
multiplying. is reduces the amount of
HIV in the body, giving
the immune system a chance to
recover and produce more
infectionghting CD4 cells. Once
a person starts taking
anti-HIV medications, an increase in
CD4 cells is a sign that
the immune system is recovering.
How long does it take for treatment
to work?
Once you start
treatment—and take your anti-HIV
medications exactly as
directed—it’s possible to have an
undetectable viral load
within 3 to 6 months. An
undetectable viral load
means that the level of HIV in your
blood is too low to be
detected by a viral load test. You aren’t
cured. ere is still some
HIV in your body. But an
undetectable viral load
indicates that your anti-HIV
medications are working
eectively to keep you healthier and
reduce your risk of
transmitting HIV.
Terms Used in This Fact Sheet:
Antiretroviral:
A medication that prevents a
retrovirus,
such as HIV, from making copies of
itself. Anti-HIV
medications are also called
antiretrovirals.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART):
The recommended
treatment for HIV. ART involves
taking a combination of
three or more anti-HIV medications
from at least two
different drug classes every day to
control the virus.
CD4 count:
The number of CD4 cells in a sample
of
blood. A CD4 count measures ho
w well the immune
system is working.
Drug class:
A group of medications that work in
the same
way.
Regimen:
A combination of three or more
anti-HIV
medications from at least two
different drug classes.
Undete
ctable viral load:
When the amount of HIV in a
person’s blood is too low to be
detected with a viral load
test.
Viral load:
The amount of HIV in the blood. One
of the
goals of antire
troviral therapy is to reduce viral
load.
What treatment is right for me?
e U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS)
provides guidelines on
using anti-HIV medications to treat
HIV infection. e HHS
guidelines recommend starting
treatment with a regimen
of three or more anti-HIV
medications from at least
two dierent
drug classes
. (See the
FDA-Approved Anti-HIV
Medications
fact sheet.) e HHS
guidelines list preferred
ART regimens. (See the
Recommended HIV Treatment
Regimens
fact sheet.)
Because people’s needs
vary, the preferred regimens may not
be right for everyone.
You and your health care provider will
consider your individual
needs to select the most eective
regimen for you.
For more information:
Contact an AIDS
info
health information
specialist at 1-800
448-0440 or visit
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov
. See your health
care provider for medical
advice.
This information is based on the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services’
Guidelines for the Use of
Reviewed
Antiretroviral Agents in
HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents
available at
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines
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