There are now over 20 HIV drugs available. This means that you and your doctor will usually be able to find a combination that suits your circumstances.

It makes good sense to consider any past treatment experience, as well as your needs and preferences about how often you take your medication, the chances of developing side-effects, and the risk of interactions with other medicines and drugs.

Taking your individual needs and preferences into account may mean that you are less likely to encounter problems taking your treatment later on.

Information on all of the currently available anti-HIV drugs is available in the NAM booklet, Anti-HIV Drugs.

Medicines from the three main classes of anti-HIV drugs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or NRTIs, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or NNRTIs, and protease inhibitors) are available in forms that need to be taken just once a day. If you’re starting HIV treatment for the first time, then it’s likely that you will be able to choose from a number of once-daily combinations. There is even an HIV treatment that consists of just one pill, once a day.

Even if you have taken a lot of HIV drugs in the past, it’s very unlikely that you will have to take your treatment more than twice daily.

If you have a preference for once- or twice-daily treatment you should discuss this with your doctor.

The NAM booklet Anti-HIV Drugs  provides information about the dosing requirements of each of the available anti-HIV drugs.

Some people have difficulty taking large numbers of pills. However, HIV treatment for most people consists of a few pills once or twice a day. If you have a choice, choosing the simplest combination with the fewest pills is likely to boost your chance of taking your treatment properly.

You can find out about the number of pills involved in treatment with each of the currently available drugs in NAM’s booklet, Anti-HIV Drugs.

Some HIV drugs need to be taken with food to work properly, whereas others should be taken on an empty stomach. However, for some drugs, it doesn’t matter if they are taken with or without food.

Some people find it difficult to take their HIV treatment on an empty stomach because this means not eating for a certain amount of time before or after taking their medicines. Other people prefer to not have to take their anti-HIV drugs with food because this can reduce the amount of flexibility they have about the time they take their treatment.

If you have a preference or concerns about food restrictions it makes good sense to let your doctor know this so that you can be prescribed the most appropriate treatment.

Some HIV clinics have dieticians who can make sure you are eating enough food for your medication to be absorbed properly. There’s information on the food requirements of HIV treatment in the NAM booklets Anti-HIV Drugs and Nutrition.

Like all medication, HIV treatment can cause side-effects, and these can be a reason why people don’t take their treatment properly.

The risk of side-effects can vary between individual drugs. It isn’t inevitable that your HIV treatment will cause side-effects, and the medicines used today generally only cause mild side-effects that either become more tolerable or go away completely with time.

However, side-effects do happen. If you are concerned about the risk of developing a particular side-effect, then mention this to your HIV doctor. You’ll then be able to discuss your concerns, and it may be possible to choose a treatment that doesn’t cause the side-effect you are worried about.

It also makes good sense to speak to your doctor about any side-effects that you develop after starting treatment. It’s nearly always possible to do something about side-effects. Don’t miss doses of your treatment in an attempt to avoid side-effects. If you develop a side-effect, you shouldn’t stop taking your HIV treatment without speaking to your HIV doctor first.

Dieticians can give advice on how to minimise side-effects like nausea and diarrhoea.

You can find out more about side-effects in the NAM booklets Side-effects and Anti-HIV Drugs.

To reduce the risk of potentially harmful interactions between drugs, it makes good sense to tell your HIV doctor or pharmacist about any other medicines, supplements or drugs you are taking. This includes medicines prescribed by another healthcare professional, as well as medicines bought over the counter, some nutritional supplements, herbal and alternative drugs, and illegal and recreational drugs.

Sometimes people feel uncomfortable telling their healthcare team about drug use. Your HIV doctor is more likely to be concerned about avoiding potentially dangerous interactions than telling you off about the use of recreational drugs. It’s also good to know that support and information will be available from your clinic if you are concerned about your drug use.

The most important interactions for each drug are listed in the NAM booklet Anti-HIV Drugs.

There have been huge improvements in HIV treatment over the last ten years or so. Compared to many older anti-HIV drugs, the ones used most widely today are more powerful, cause fewer side-effects and are easier to take. Currently available HIV treatment is highly effective for most people.

Research into HIV treatment is continuing, and this could mean that drugs will become available in the near future that don’t have to be taken as frequently as the ones in use today or that require lower levels of adherence.

You can keep up with the latest developments in HIV treatment by regularly visiting NAM’s websites, www.aidsmap.com and www.namlife.org, or by signing up to the e-bulletin, HIV Weekly. If you’re personally affected by HIV, you can get a free subscription to NAM’s treatments newsletter, HIV Treatment Update.