My HIV is undetectable, can I stop my medication?

Congratulations on reaching an undetectable viral load, this is an important first step to care for your health. A common question that people have is whether an undetectable viral load test means that HIV is no longer in the body and that their HIV is cured.

An undetectable viral load does not mean that HIV is cured. HIV treatment stops HIV from making more copies of itself, but it does not eliminate the HIV completely. Even when you are undetectable, there is still HIV inside your body.

This is because you have some cells in your body with HIV inside of them. They are dormant (sleeping) cells and can be found in the lymph nodes, gut, spleen, and other parts of the body. This is called an HIV reservoir.

If you stop taking your HIV treatment, when these dormant cells wake up, HIV will start to make copies of itself again because there are no longer medications in your body to stop it. To prevent this and stay undetectable, you must continue to take your HIV treatments daily as prescribed by your healthcare provider.

Being undetectable means that you are unlikely to become unwell due to complications with HIV and that you will have a longer life expectancy than those who are not on treatment. However, HIV is still present in the body and continuing to adhere to your treatment is key to living well with HIV.

If you do not take your HIV treatments as prescribed, you could be at risk for a weakened immune system and opportunistic infections. One of the other impacts of a treatment holiday, sometimes referred to as a treatment break or interruption, is that you may become resistant to your treatment. This means that you may be unable to continue your current treatment and need to change to another regimen. If this continues, your treatment options will become limited.

Many people find adherence difficult for a number of reasons. If you are facing challenges with treatment and are thinking about a treatment holiday, this should be discussed with your healthcare provider. They can help you access the help and support you may need. You can find tips on adherence in another page on aidsmap.com.

There are other benefits to being undetectable besides your own health. Once your viral load has been undetectable for six months you are unable to pass HIV along through sex, as long as you continue to take your HIV treatments and remain undetectable. Learn more on our page on undetectable viral load and HIV transmission.