HIV Disease and AIDS
Managing HIV Disease: Getting the Most from Your Therapy
Taking Care of Yourself
Taking Care WITH Your Therapy
Many powerful drugs are now available to help combat both HIV disease and AIDS. The real key to the success of any medication, however, is always the person taking it. By understanding how your prescribed therapy works, you will quickly see the important role you play in your own health care.
HIV Is a Very Active Virus
From the first day of infection, HIV goes to work, producing copies of itself, while destroying the disease-fighting cells of your immune system. Proper treatment helps your body battle HIV and other harmful invaders. That's where antiviral drugs enter the picture...
Antiviral Drugs Fight Back
Antivirals are drugs that fight viruses. In the battle against HIV, they serve as fresh troops brought in to help support your body's immune system. By keeping the amount of virus in your blood as low as possible for as long as possible, antivirals help slow down the spread of HIV. They also help increase the number of your infection-fighting CD4 cells.
Today, there are three different groups of anti-HIV drugs: Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) and Protease Inhibitors (PIs).
Questions & Answers
"Are antiviral drugs a cure for HIV or AIDS?"
Although these drugs may be a step in the right direction, they unfortunately are not a cure. People taking these drugs may still develop illnesses linked to HIV. By following your doctor's advice and taking your medications as prescribed, however, you maximize your chances of slowing down the disease.
"My doctor decided to begin my drug therapy early. Does this mean my condition is getting worse?"
No. With the introduction of many new anti-HIV drugs in recent years, the trend has been to start therapy earlier. In fact, early treatment appears to be extremely beneficial.
