Frequently Asked Questions About Treatment for HIV Treatment Veterans
- I'm highly drug resistant, and my doctor just started me on a new, unproven drug regimen. If I become resistant to one or more of these new drugs too, what's next for me?
- I've heard that even if you are resistant to an HIV drug, that drug might still have some effectiveness. Is that true? Is drug resistance a matter of degree?
- I'm resistant to almost all HIV meds. However with two newly approved drugs, I was able to get my viral load below 200. Is that good enough or should I be striving to become undetectable?
- My HIV drug resistance test found no resistance to NRTIs or NNRTIs, but it did list a handful of "other mutations." What do these mutations mean?
- Does my decreasing CD4 count mean that I'm becoming resistant to my meds, even though my viral load is still undetectable?
- A resistance test found that my girlfriend was resistant to 70 percent of all available HIV meds. What are her choices?
- My viral load has never reached undetectable, and I have recurring oral and vaginal thrush. What can I do?
- When my doctor put me on a new drug regimen, he said I didn't have any other options. How long can I expect these new drugs to last?
- I have been positive for more than 20 years, and my last phenotype test showed I was resistant to many HIV meds. How limited are my treatment options?
- I stopped taking HIV meds almost two years ago, but now I need to restart treatment. An old resistance test showed resistance to a good number of meds. What are my options now?
- I'm highly resistant to all currently available HIV meds. Would any meds from my old regimens be effective if I started taking them again?
- If a phenotypic resistance test says that I have "complete" resistance to an HIV medication, what does that mean?
- If I stay 100 percent adherent to my HIV meds, can I avoid resistance, or will it inevitably develop at some point?
- Is there any risk that, if I switch to Combivir (AZT/3TC) + Viramune, my resistance to 3TC will cause the entire regimen to fail?
- I've developed resistance to virtually every HIV medication. I want to join a clinical trial for a new drug, but the trials I know of don't include my area as a study site. What options do I have?
- I'm already resistant to a few HIV meds, and now my doc wants to switch me off of Fuzeon, which is keeping my viral load undetectable, to "save" it for later. Is this a good idea?
- My doctor has told me to discontinue using a fourth HIV drug because my CD4 count has risen to a healthy level and my viral load is now undetectable. Will I still be able to use this drug in the future?
- My girlfriend has been having kidney and liver problems, and she's resistant to 70 percent of all currently available HIV meds. If she has to switch meds again, what are some good options?
- I'm currently taking four HIV drugs, and I want to switch to the three-drug combo pill Atripla. My doc doesn't think it's a good idea because my resistance tests keep coming back inconclusive. What do you think? Can I safely switch meds?
- I haven't missed a single dose since I started meds three months ago, but I'm being told I have "fossils" of resistance to some meds. What does this mean? Do I need to switch meds?
- Ever since I stopped treatment, my CD4 count has continuously risen. And after an initial spike, my viral load has begun to decrease. How unusual is this?
- I've been off HIV meds for seven months because I'm resistant to everything. What can I do to stay healthy until a new drug regimen becomes available for me?
- I've been on meds since 1990 and want to take a break. When I asked my doctor about it, he said I'd be dead within a year if I stopped treatment. Is that true?
- I've decided to stop HIV treatment because meds have failed to get my viral load to undetectable and I can't stand the side effects any more. What do you think of this decision?
- Three months ago I stopped taking my HIV meds because of the side effects, and I feel better than I have in a long time. However my CD4 count has dropped rapidly. What should I do?
- Is there any relationship between HIV and blepharospasm (eye twitching)?
- Even though I've been dealing with persistent diarrhea for over nine months, my doctor doesn't want to change my med regimen. What should I do?
- None of my problems -- depression, Fanconi Syndrome (a kidney disorder), major balance problems, etc. -- are officially associated with AIDS, but could they be caused by long-term effects of HIV and HIV meds?