Understanding Antiretroviral Therapy: The Basics

If you or someone you know is living with HIV, you might have heard about antiretroviral therapy, or ART. It's a treatment approach that uses a combination of medicines to control the virus and keep the immune system strong. ART doesn’t cure HIV, but it helps keep the virus under control, which means you can live a longer, healthier life without passing HIV to others.

How Does Antiretroviral Therapy Work?

ART stops HIV from multiplying in your body. It uses several types of drugs that target different points in the virus’s life cycle. By blocking the virus from reproducing, ART lowers the amount of virus in your blood to very low levels, often to undetectable levels. This is important because the less virus there is, the less damage it does to your immune system.

Taking ART daily as prescribed is crucial. Missing doses can let the virus bounce back and even lead to drug resistance, which makes treatment less effective. Your doctor will tailor the treatment to your specific needs, balancing effectiveness and side effects.

What to Expect With ART

Starting antiretroviral therapy might come with some side effects like nausea, headache, or tiredness, but these often improve within a few weeks. Staying in touch with your healthcare provider helps manage these effects and adjust medications if needed.

Regular check-ups are key to tracking how well the treatment is working. Your doctor will check your viral load and CD4 count to make sure the virus stays suppressed and your immune system stays healthy.

Living with HIV while on ART also means you can maintain your daily routine, work, and relationships with more confidence. Many people on ART lead full lives without the fear of transmitting the virus, thanks to effective viral suppression.

Antiretroviral therapy has changed the game for HIV treatment. If you’re just starting or thinking about it, chat openly with your healthcare team. They’ll guide you through the process so you can stay healthy and in control.