Doctors have not yet discovered a single combination of HIV medications that's best for everyone. Each combination has its advantages and disadvantages. The U.S. government issues regularly updated HIV treatment guidelines for health care professionals. As of December 2009, the guidelines suggested five "preferred" regimens for people who are starting HIV treatment:

"I needed a good three years to actively process the diagnosis. "Actively processing a diagnosis means finding a good therapist, joining a support group, or talking with family and friends. People should do whatever is comfortable for them, but not talking about it is not an option! If you don't talk to anyone about it, you'll suffer for it." -- David Lee, diagnosed in 1995 To read more about David, click here.

• Atripla (a single pill containing three HIV meds)
• Reyataz plus Norvir plus Truvada
• Prezista plus Norvir plus Truvada
• Isentress plus Truvada
• Twice-daily Kaletra plus Combivir (for pregnant women)

Each of these treatment combinations includes at least one drug from two different types, or "classes," of HIV medications. Each class of medication stops HIV from making copies of itself at a different moment in its reproductive cycle. The following are the six classes of HIV medications:

• Entry inhibitors
• Fusion inhibitors
• Integrase inhibitors
• NRTIs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors)
• NNRTIs (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors)
• PIs (protease inhibitors)

You and your provider will consider many issues before deciding on a treatment combination, including:

• Your lifestyle
• Which treatment regimen preserves your future treatment options
• How powerful a combination it is
• What side effects it can cause
• Other illnesses you may have (such as hepatitis C), as this can affect which HIV medications are best for you.

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