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Summary

  • HIV treatment is very effective and can mean a long and healthy life, but anti-HIV drugs can cause unwanted side-effects.
  • HIV treatment is meant to make you better; you don’t have to put up with side-effects.
  • It’s not inevitable that you will experience side-effects and if side-effects do develop it’s often possible to do something about them.
  • Some anti-HIV drugs can cause an allergic reaction and you will be told about the symptoms to look out for and what to do if you experience them.
  • You’re most likely to notice side-effects soon after you start taking a new drug and these usually lessen or go away with time.
  • It always makes good sense to tell your doctor about any side-effects you are experiencing.
  • The side-effects caused by the most commonly used HIV drugs tend to be mild.
  • Common side-effects are diarrhoea, feeling or being sick, headache, rash and tiredness. It’s usually possible to take medicines to control these.
  • Some side-effects develop after you’ve been taking a medicine for a period of months or even years. You’ll have tests to check for these and it makes good sense to tell your doctor about any unusual symptoms.
This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.