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Summary

  • Adherence means taking your pills in the prescribed doses at the right time, in the right amount and in the right way.
  • Missing doses or not taking doses correctly can lead to your HIV becoming drug resistant. This will cause your treatment to fail and limit the drugs you can take in the future.
  • A high level of adherence is needed for your HIV treatment to work effectively and you should aim to take every dose.
  • Everyone taking HIV treatment should be offered support and advice with adherence.
  • You might find adherence easier to manage if you feel ready to start treatment, and if your treatment fits in with your lifestyle.
  • Keeping a diary, using a pill box, or using an alarm might help you to adhere.
  • Resistance is an important reason why HIV treatment stops working.
  • Developing resistance is less likely if your viral load is undetectable and you take your HIV treatment correctly. The more you miss doses, the more likely it will be that your drug combination will fail.
  • Some people contract a strain of HIV which is already drug resistant.
  • Resistance tests will be used to help choose the best drug combination for you.

 

 

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 It may have been superseded by more recent developments.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.