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Treatment
by Editor
What You Need To Know...
Although there is treatment that makes it manageable to live with HIV, access to the treatment and other HIV related care remains significantly low. Currently, only 1 in 10 people who need antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) are on it. This is largely due to the cost of the treatment and other trade laws, read more about it here on the Avert site .
If you live in an area where medicines are affordable and available, your doctor will go through the various medical options with you; what drugs are available to you and what will work best for you. Not everyone will need to go onto treatment when they are first diagnosed; this depends on your CD4 count and the state of your immune system.
It will probably be the case that your doctor will prescribe you antiretroviral drugs – they stop the virus from multiplying and spreading as quickly. HIV drugs are pretty advanced these days which is great news. As with all drugs, there are possible risks and side-effects –these will vary depending on what you’re taking.
The important thing to remember is that if your doctor prescribes you drugs you should take them exactly as he/she tells you to. For example if your pills need to be taken at the same time everyday make sure you do - if you don’t this could mean they don’t work properly.
Exceptional circumstances aside, never stop taking drugs without speaking to your doctor first.
Even without treatment, as long as a person living with HIV continues to lead a healthy lifestyle they can still go on to live a long and productive life.
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Comments
by Haydee on Dec 02 2008, 02:13 GMT
unfortunally in my country aids ´s still "in the closet" and treatment is really expensive and almost ungetable.my brother died because of aids and i´d really think that my familiy experience can help some one to get through this desease.