What Are the Best HIV Treatments?

 

There is still no known treatment that could cure HIV or AIDS today. Such diseases still remain as lethal as they were twenty years ago. Nevertheless, scientists, physicians and researchers have come up with several possible treatment plans that could improve the lives of those who have the disease. Indeed, these treatment programs do not rid the patient of the virus, but they make living with HIV significantly better.

The HIV or AIDS antiretroviral drug treatment is the main and most famous type of treatment for these patients. Again, this is not a cure. This drug treatment, could however, save patients from getting sick for years with HIV or AIDS. Since the immune system of a person is compromised with such diseases, they can easily get ill. Antiretroviral drug treatment can prevent this, as long as the individual religiously takes it for the rest of his or her life.

Basically, this drug treatment is aimed at keeping the amount of HIV within the body at very low levels. Without the proliferation of HIV, the immune system does not get weakened very fast and it is able to repair itself from damage. Without the drug, this could be impossible as the virus does not give the body time to heal itself. The known drugs involved in this treatment are antiretroviral drugs, anti-HIV drugs, anti-AIDS drugs and ARVs.

Another treatment plan considered to be most efficient is combination therapy. This HIV treatment involves taking two or more antiretroviral drugs at one time. On the other hand, a therapy program for a person who takes three or more HIV treatment drugs may be referred to as highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART
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When one starts with taking a single drug for HIV treatment, the virus may soon get resistant or immune to it. Consequently, the drug would stop working. By taking two or more drugs, the rate of resistance of the virus greatly goes down. This makes the therapy more effective for a longer period of time.

In the market today, there are twenty approved antiretroviral drugs. Unfortunately, not all of these drugs are licensed, authorized or available in every country. You may refer to your local health center to assist you in getting the right prescription available in your area.

 Getting HIV treatment may be difficult. Even the program itself may not be as easy as you imagined. The first line of therapy which is the initial stage wherein you are given the antiretroviral drug may be effective for awhile. However, when the virus becomes resistant and the medicine stops working, you might experience unpleasant side effects. You will then be moved to the second line of therapy which would involve three or more drugs. Hopefully this stage would be better and would turn out more favorable results.

Your HIV treatment may put you through a significant amount of stress. Counseling is advised so that you can talk about the effects of the drugs to your body and your emotions. Having such a treatment may really be difficult. Just remember, in the long run you would be happier and healthier as compared to not getting treated at all.

By Kelly Purden