Treatment & care

Treatment facts

1. Not everyone has to go on treatment as soon as they are diagnosed with HIV. When you start treatment depends on how advanced the infection is and how your body is coping.
   
2. Treatment is a combination of drugs which attack HIV by holding the virus down and stopping it from damaging your health further.
   
3. If your immune system starts to weaken and your CD4 count (link to PDF) goes down to 350, the best advice is to start treatment.
   
4. Once you go onto treatment, you must take it properly and regularly. Breaks in your treatment allow HIV to bounce back and make it more difficult for the treatment to work.
   
5. HIV treatments are simpler to take than they used to be. There are options and so you can find the combination that's best for you. New drugs continue to become available and there are treatments suitable for children.
   
6. There are 20 different anti-HIV drugs. For them to work properly, you need to take three different drugs, which attack HIV at different stages in its replication. The three drugs might come in one or two tablets, making them easier to take.
   
7. After diagnosis, you will be asked to attend the clinic for a check-up every 3 to 4 months. Once you're on treatment, your doctor will monitor your immunity (CD4 count) and level of virus in your blood (viral load). That way you know how well the treatment is working
   
8. If the drugs become less effective or there are any problems with taking them, then there is usually something that can be done about it.
   
9. The best treatment and care for HIV is at your NHS specialist clinic, which is either in the hospital Infectious Diseases Unit or the GUM or sexual health clinic.
   
10. Even if treatments don’t work perfectly, there is still benefit in taking the drugs, and the immune system can often repair itself.

Try Aidsmap Factsheets for more information on treatments.

Check out Your Story, Your Script a website dedicated to helping people get the best out of anti-HIV treatment.

Five top tips

1. Review your routine and work out how your medication will fit in to this. Plan advance for the weekend and any trips away.
   
2. A daily pill box can help you keep track of what you’ve taken and an alarm on your mobile phone can remind you when to take them.
   
3. If side effects from taking HIV drugs persist for more than a month, get in touch with your doctor
   
4. You can do a lot for yourself by having a healthy diet, regular exercise, and being with friends
   
5. When life gets tough, then speak to someone – if it’s easier to talk to a professional, see our service finder to find a service near you that could help.