My girlfriend tested positive for HIV today. We are curious on how much the meds will cost? and when she may have to start taking them?

Shes been infected for about 2 1/2 years now, but as I said, she just learned today that she is HIV positive.. does the amount of time you are infected w/out knowing play any role in the medication?

The price of an initial antiretroviral regimen in the United States ranges from about $11,000 to $14,000 per year depending on which one is chosen. The length of time that one is infected does determine the likelihood of needing treatment. CD4 counts decline over time with HIV infection so those more years into infection tend to have lower CD4 counts. The choice of medications is not necessarily related to length of infection but some HIV doctors are more comfortable using a boosted protease inhibitor (like Kaletra) for people with very low CD4 counts.