When Is The Right Time To Start HIV Medication

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When to Start Anti-HIV Medications

Terms Used in This Fact Sheet Antiretroviral: A medication that prevents a retrovirus, such as HIV, from making copies of itself. Anti-HIV medicationsare also called antiretrovirals. Antiretroviral therapy (ART): The recommended treatmentfor 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...

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When is the right time to start medications

Good morning,I am 29 years old and contracted the HIV virus 127 days ago. I have been trying to maintain a continuous part of my medical care. I have started to take many different Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Elements to help my immune system...

Response from Gerald Pierone, M.D.

AIDS Research and Treatment Center of the Treasure Coast

Recent studies have suggested that initiation of therapy within 2 weeks of seroconversion may translate into long-term benefit for HIV infection. For persons starting within 3 months (arbitrary cut off, I know) the data are mixed some studies say... Read more »

The right time to start medication

Dear DrMy partner is HIV positive and he is not keen on taking medication. When we first found out about his status his CD4 count was 90 and now it over 500. We did this by making sure that he lives a healthy life and he also takes vitamin...

Response from Joseph McGowan, M.D., F.A.C.P.

North Shore University Hospital

Thanks for your questions.Your partner's feelings are very common and he is going through alot of emotions in coming to terms with having HIV. Many people do not like to think about it and cannot accept it. He may have been diagnosed shortly... Read more »

Right time to start meds and right combination?

Hi I been pos for 2 years and my last four counts are cd4/vl 256/3300,208/4470,257/3400 and 203/4400. My doctor ask me to start med, combivir 2 pils a day and sustiva 3 pils a day. This the right time to start the meds right? And is this combination...

Response from Benjamin Young, M.D., Ph.D.

Rocky Mountain CARES

Thank you for your question.This would certainly be a reasonable time to initiate HIV therapy and this is a very reasonable treatment regimen to use. The side effects of the regimen are usually mild to none (save for the initial nervous system side... Read more »

Right time to start treatment.

Hi, my father is 48 and was diagnosed Hiv+ 2 years back. doctors recommend of start the treatment. He last reports show Viral load between 100000 to 200000 and CD4 between 275 to 350. last report is showing cd4 as 331 and viral load 125000. i have...

Response from Benjamin Young, M.D., Ph.D.

Rocky Mountain CARES

Hello and thanks for your post.I agree with your father's doctors. With a CD4 count that is at least twice measured below 350, advancing age (ouch, he's my age), and high HIV viral load, I would start sooner rather than later. Indeed,... Read more »

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Starting Medication 5-18-09

Posted by wonderboy21, 4 Replies

Got My Results i made an error Cd4 291 VL - 6,500 i accidently put 650,000 on my last post.. not resistant to anything im still new about this so i dont know how to write about it..but joined a study with the hospital clinic im at. My doctor shes a... Read more »

Should i Start medication???

Posted by coconyc, 3 Replies

Hi im Coco from nyc I though the benefit or getting tested its to find out the virus in a early time so u can get a good treatment that prolong ur life in a better condition, i got my first results a month ago and i got CD4:276 and VL: 3616, so my... Read more »

long time without hiv medication but ignored in sw

Posted by thriller, 2 Replies

I have been pos for some 20 odd years and am still without meds, I feel ignored by the hospitals in sweden where I live. My levels of cd4 and virus have been steadey for a long time and since -99 -00 they went down after an operation for overweight... Read more »

Starting meds for the first time.

Posted by glowstixboyoh, 15 Replies

Hi everyone. I am a little angry right now. I was diagnosed poz on march first of this year. I just got my lab results back and people think I should start meds. Its seems to them the virus is newly aquired, but it also looks like my immune... Read more »

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