In this article, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about HIV / AIDS treatment, the most frequently asked questions about AIDS treatment are;
There is no cure for HIV or AIDS. However, with some treatment methods, the progression of the disease can be slowed down. A person who is infected with HIV can be given the opportunity to live a longer and healthier life.
According to the instructions published by the World Health Organization in June 2013, previous HIV antiretroviral treatment is vital. This treatment method increases the quality of life, prolongs the life span and reduces the risk of transmission.
Although there is no vaccine or treatment method for HIV today, HIV treatment has become much more effective and beneficial. Patients can improve their health and quality of life with some medications they regularly use.
Emergency HIV Pills (Post Exposure Prophylaxis)
If a person who has had unprotected sex thinks they have been exposed to the virus in the past 3 days, anti-HIV drugs called TSP (post-exposure prophylaxis) can help stop the infection. Treatment should be carried out as soon as possible after contact with the virus.
TSP; It is a 28-day and very challenging treatment. It can cause uncomfortable side effects (diarrhea, nausea and headache).
Once the person is diagnosed as HIV positive, regular HIV tests should be done to monitor the progress of the virus before starting treatment. These treatments are designed to reduce the level of HIV in the blood and have many benefits.
Those infected with HIV, the cause of AIDS, are treated with antiretroviral drugs. This method of treatment slows down HIV infection and the spread of the virus throughout the body. Usually, patients receive a combination of drugs called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) or cART (combined antiretroviral therapy).
AIDS ( hiv ) treatment is usually permanent and lifelong. HIV treatment is based on routine dosages. Medicines should be taken regularly, each time. Each class of antiretroviral drugs has different side effects, but there are possible side effects such as nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, headache, skin rashes or moodiness.
Complementary or Alternative HIV Therapies
Alternative complementary medicines such as the commonly used “herbal medicines” have not been proven to be effective. According to some limited studies, mineral or vitamin supplementation may benefit overall health. Because some of these options, even vitamin supplements, may interact with antiretroviral drugs and drug interactions, patients should definitely consult their doctor before seeking any alternative treatment.
What is HIV treatment?
Medicines used to treat HIV are called “antiretrovirals”. To ensure the strong and long-lasting effect of antiretrovirals, it is necessary to take three (sometimes more) anti-HIV drugs. The HIV treatment used today does not remove the virus from the body. Instead, it prolongs your life and ensures a healthy life by preventing the proliferation of HIV and therefore reducing the damage of HIV on the immune system.
When should HIV treatment be started?
There is no clear evidence on the best time to start taking medication for HIV treatment. This means you should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of starting or delaying treatment right away with your doctor.
According to current prevailing opinion:
- If you have symptoms of HIV or AIDS
- If your CD4 cell count is around 350
then it is necessary to start treatment.
If HIV has been recently infected, the first six months after HIV infection is called the “primary infection period”. There is no evidence that starting treatment during this period will lead to a longer and healthier life. However, some doctors consider this time to be an ideal time for intervention, because they believe that over time, the infection will cause more damage to the immune system, thus making it less likely to respond to HIV.
However, many people develop symptoms of HIV months or even years after being infected with HIV. It is an advantage not to deal with the side effects of drugs and to spend many years without facing the problem of reducing the quality of life of the treatment, but it is necessary to compare this advantage with the risk of losing the effect of the treatment against HIV and make the right decision.
The results of small studies on the benefits and risks of starting treatment after HIV infection are far from convincing. Some people who started treatment soon after being infected with HIV had very low levels of the virus, which persisted after they stopped treatment.
On the other hand, this approach has not been applicable to others who have tried it. As there is uncertainty about this, a much larger study is investigating the benefits of treatment at this stage. Results will be announced in a few years.
Until these results are announced, the following are the characteristics of people who are recommended to start treatment immediately after being infected with HIV:
- Those with any AIDS-defining disease.
- Those with HIV-related neurological diseases.
- People with CD4 cell counts less than 200 for three months or more.
It is recommended that people with these characteristics begin treatment immediately after being infected with HIV.
If you have a (chronic) infection but have no symptoms
You should start HIV treatment immediately before your CD4 count drops below 200. If you start treatment with your CD4 count below 200, you will have a higher risk of health problems and even short-term death than if you start above 200. It is now agreed that it is beneficial to start HIV treatment when your CD4 cell count is around 350. Your doctor should consider starting treatment when your CD4 cell count is around this number, and you should be advised to start treatment as soon as you are ready.
There is strong evidence that starting treatment when your CD4 cell count is around 350 reduces the risk of developing not only HIV-related diseases but also serious diseases such as heart, kidney, liver and some cancers. Starting treatment when your CD4 cell count is around 350 is particularly recommended for people with any of the following:
- Those with a viral load of over 100,000.
- Rapidly falling CD4 cell count. (80 or more cells per year)
- Any HIV-related disease.
- Coinfection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus.
- People over 50.
- People at risk of heart disease.
- Those who are in a relationship with an HIV-negative person.
- People of African ethnicity who suffer from kidney diseases
It is recommended that people with these characteristics should start treatment immediately.
People who show symptoms of HIV disease or AIDS
It is recommended that anyone diagnosed with an AIDS-defining infection or cancer begin HIV treatment. Tuberculosis is the exception if your CD4 cell count is above 350.
In most cases, HIV treatment will be started once your treatment for the infection is finished. This is because anti-HIV drugs can sometimes interact with infection treatment drugs. When HIV treatment and certain infectious drugs are taken together, there may be a risk of developing a series of adverse symptoms called inflammatory syndrome due to immune restructuring. If you have been diagnosed with lymphoma, you should start HIV treatment as soon as you start chemotherapy.
What does therapy start with
For first-time treatment, standard HIV treatment will consist of a combination or “regime” of three antiretroviral drugs.
Recommended combination:
NNRTI plus two NRTIs If you are starting HIV therapy for the first time, use the nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz (Sustiva or Stocrin) or the NNRTI nevirapine (Viramune) with nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) combination pills – either Truvada (this FTC and tenofovir). It is recommended that you take either one of the ingredients (containing abacavir and 3TC) or Kivexa (which contains abacavir and 3TC). There is healthy evidence that efavirenz has a strong and long-lasting anti-HIV effect.
It also has relatively few side effects and is easy to take. However, the main disadvantage of efavirenz is that HIV can easily form resistance, so it is important to take it with the other two drugs. It also has neurological side effects. These usually only last a few weeks, but some patients experience prolonged and problematic symptoms such as headaches, nightmares, disorientation and depression.
You should not start treatment with efavirenz if you are considering becoming pregnant, as it could theoretically cause birth defects. If you have already become pregnant while taking efavirenz, contact your HIV clinic for help as soon as possible.
When should therapy change
The target of HIV treatment is reaching an undetectable viral load (50 copies/ml lower in blood in tests performed in many HIV clinics).
If your viral load is above this level, then this indicates that HIV continues to multiply. If your viral load drops to undetectable levels and returns to detectable levels, and this is seen in two consecutive tests, then treatment needs to be changed.
If therapy does not reduce viral load to undetectable levels and other drug combinations are available to achieve this, it should be changed.
If, after your treatment has reduced your viral load to undetectable levels, a viral load of more than 50 copies/ml is detected in at least two-week intervals in viral load tests, then your treatment is failing. Then you should consider changing treatment if there are other medications that may allow you to lower your viral load to undetectable levels and if you can tolerate and comfortably take these medications. Evaluation of the drugs you choose to replace the old treatment should be managed with your treatment history and resistance tests.
Application of the treatment
The success of your anti-HIV drugs demands a high level of responsibility from you. Adherence to treatment means ensuring that your prescribed medications are taken exactly as described, with no missed or delayed delays, and, if necessary, that the right meals are eaten at the right times. Even missing a few doses can make your medication fail, and there is solid evidence that only optimal responses will be achieved with 90-95% adherence.
If you are taking one dose every day this means not missing more than once a month, or twice a month if you are taking two doses a day. Adherence to treatment support should be a routine part of the support you receive from the clinic.
The following aspects are important elements for effective treatment adherence and should be addressed as a periodic part of your HIV care.
The following should be considered when starting a new HIV treatment:
- Strong motivation to start and continue your treatment.
- Knowledge of adherence to treatment and drug resistance.
- The effect of your treatment on your lifestyle and quality.
- Your mental health.
- The risks of side effects and their management.
- Have written instructions at hand for taking your medication.
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