hand in blue medical glove holding a HIV test

How effective are ARVs?

Antiretroviral drugs, also  Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) are effective in treating HIV. There is no cure for HIV currently however one can manage it with ART. Most people can get the virus under control within six months.

Antiretroviral drugs, also  Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) are effective in combating HIV. There is no cure for HIV currently however one can manage it with ART. Most people can get the virus under control within six months. ART’s most importantly help get the immune system back on track by lowering the amount of the virus in the body, this will in turn increase CD4 cells (Cells that help fight infection by triggering your immune system to destroy viruses, bacteria and other germs that make you sick) 

For most part, you probably won’t “feel” your medicine working as it is not like taking medication for a headache as you are not trying to get rid of a symptom hence it can make it difficult to gauge the progress when managing your HIV and a few things can help to indicate for you to know HIV medicine is doing its job.

Two tests will be done,  a CD4 Count and  Viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood of someone who has HIV). Both are blood tests and these are ways of looking to see how strong your immune system is and how well the medication is controlling the HIV in your body. The goal is to have a low viral load and a normal CD4 count to effectively fight other infections.

The only way to make ART effective is by taking your medication as instructed by your healthcare provider, do not miss doses as this will interfere with the effectiveness of the medication and can affect your viral load count

Another important thing to remember is that it is critical for a patient to continue taking their HIV medicine as prescribed, even if they feel like they are perfectly healthy and feeling good, after all, HIV is a disease that likes to pretend that is is not there until something serious happens.

Taking your medication whether you feel them working or not ensures that you are protecting yourself long term and should there be any complications, it is best to talk to your doctor and not Google!

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LoveMatters Africa

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