HIV Disease and AIDS
You and Your Anti-HIV Therapy
Keep the Goal in Sight
HIV therapy has come a long way in recent times. Earlier treatment and more powerful anti-HIV drugs are making a big difference in many lives. And hope is growing that stemming the tide of AIDS may one day be achieved. As for now, the big benefit to most patients is that the HIV can be kept under control longer than ever before. The goal of current therapy is clear: 
To keep viral levels as low as possible and slow down HIV disease as long as possible.
To meet this goal, however, it is important that you become and stay alert and actively involved in order to make your therapy work for you. Following your doctor's advice, learning everything you can about the disease, and taking your antiviral medications exactly as prescribed are keys to maintaining the upper hand on HIV.
No one likes to follow orders. But...
Let's face it. Few of us like to follow orders. And being told to 'take your medicine' is not always an easy thing to accept. In treating some illnesses, an occasional lapse in medication or skipped dose may not matter all that much in the long run. But in the case of HIV disease, slip-ups can prove extremely harmful.
The fact is, reducing your dose by any amount on your own or taking a 'drug holiday' may stop the drugs you have been prescribed from working against HIV. And that's the last thing you want to happen. Consult your doctor before adjusting or stopping any of your medications.
Why 'drug holidays' are a bad idea...
You think your body needs a break, so you decide to take a lower dose than prescribed. Perhaps you skip a dose or two altogether.
Now that there's less anti-HIV medication in your blood, more copies of the virus will now be produced and the amount of virus in your blood may start to increase.
As more copies of the virus spring into action, the greater the possibility the virus will become drug resistant -- making your medication less effective or not effective at all.
Questions & Answers
"Will taking my medication as instructed really make a difference in the long run?"
Yes. The symptom-free phase (also known as the clinical latency period) varies from person to person. Despite the fact that HIV is extremely active in the body, generally very few symptoms are experienced. This phase lasts an average of about 10 years, but it can last much longer.
Meanwhile, as a greater number of powerful new drugs become available, the long-term outlook continues to improve. By taking your medication as prescribed, you increase your chances of benefiting from any future medical developments.
