Anti-HIV Drugs
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the use of Anti-HIV drugs to treat HIV infection.
Patients on ART take a combination of HIV medicines known as HIV treatment
regimen every day.
ART is recommended for patients who are HIV positive. It
can’t cure HIV, but help people live longer and healthier lives. It can also
reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
How do Anti HIV drugs work?
HIV destroys the infection-fighting cells of the immune system.
Loss of these cells makes it hard for the body to fight off infections and
certain HIV-related cancers.
These medicines prevent HIV from multiplying, which reduces the amount of HIV in the body. Less HIV gives the immune system a chance to recover. Even though there is still some HIV left, the immune system is strong enough to fight off infections.
By reducing the amount of HIV, these medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. The main goal of ART is to reduce viral load to an undetectable level. Patients with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load have no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partner.
These medicines prevent HIV from multiplying, which reduces the amount of HIV in the body. Less HIV gives the immune system a chance to recover. Even though there is still some HIV left, the immune system is strong enough to fight off infections.
By reducing the amount of HIV, these medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. The main goal of ART is to reduce viral load to an undetectable level. Patients with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load have no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative partner.
When to
start taking HIV medicines?
Patients should start ART as soon as possible. People with
following conditions are recommended to start ART right away: pregnancy,
certain HIV-related illnesses and co-infections, AIDS, and early HIV infection.
What medicines are included in an HIV regimen?
There are many medicines available for HIV regimens. These anti-HIV drugs are grouped into seven
drug classes according to how they fight HIV. Initial HIV regimen includes 3
HIV medicines from at least 2 different HIV drug classes.
The selection of an HIV regimen depends on several factors,
including side effects of anti-HIV drugs
and potential drug interactions between medicines. There are several HIV
regimens to choose from.
What you should know about taking HIV medicines?
Side effects: Sometimes,
these medicines can cause side effects. Most are manageable, but a few can be
serious. Overall, the benefits are far outweighing the risk of side effects. Newer
regimens cause fewer side effects than regimens used in the past.
Side effects can vary depending on the medicine and the
person taking it. Some side effects, like headaches or dizziness, may not be
serious. Other such as swelling of the throat and tongue or liver damage, can
be life-threatening.
Drug interactions: Anti
HIV drugs can interact with other HIV medicines in an HIV regimen. They can
interact with other medicines, nutritional supplements, vitamins, and herbal
products. A drug interaction reduces or increases a medicine's effect. It can
also cause unwanted side effects.
Drug resistance: When
HIV multiplies, the virus sometimes mutates and makes variations of it.
Variations that develop while a patient is taking HIV medicines can lead to
drug-resistant strains of HIV. The medicines that previously controlled a
person’s HIV are not effective against the new one, drug-resistant HIV.
Poor adherence to an HIV regime like not taking HIV
medicines every day or exactly as prescribed—increases the risk of drug
resistance and thus, treatment failure.
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