HIV Treatment 2.0

HIV is a virus infection that currently does not have a cure. The virus has medications to manage and prevent it from multiplying in the patient's body. HIV treatment requires patients to adhere strictly to the medication prescribed to them. There are other follow-up appointments that they also need to adhere to help them treat the virus (Altice et al., 2019). HIV affects the immune system like other infections, making the body vulnerable. The medication help build up the immune system again and fight the virus.

HIV medications are classified into seven classes. These classes fight HIV differently, and patients choose the regimen they prefer from these classes. Several factors are considered in this choice. These factors include side effects of the drugs, HIV stage, and potential drug mix-ups. The medication classes are fusion inhibitors, CCR5 antagonists, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), post-attachment inhibitors, integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs), protease inhibitors, and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) (Altice et al., 2019). All these classes fight HIV infections in different ways, and patients need to understand them before deciding which class of medication to use. It is the patient's choice to make pertaining to the regimen to use.

When making the decision, patients have to consider several aspects. One aspect to consider is other existing health complications. These health issues include heart disease, blood pressure, pregnancy, and many other issues. These issues have a medical prescription, and that is why it is important to consider them to evaluate the medical interactions. Another factor is the side effects of these medications (Altice et al., 2019). A pregnant patient might use a different class from a patient with heart disease since the side effects might impact the patient's condition. Again, a drug test examines drugs that can resist a person's HIV; therefore, the test results are a consideration given during the regimen choosing process (Back & Marzolini, 2020). Another consideration is the convenience of the medication. Some classes are challenging to remember the prescription, but others are easy to remember. The patient's needs are the key determinants of the medication to use.

Although HIV medicines are classified differently, they all work the same. Their main goal is to fight HIV and prevent it from increasing in the patient's body. Once a patient takes the medication, the infected immune system starts to repair and reconstruct, multiplying more CD4 cells that had been destroyed and helping fight the virus reducing its number and preventing it from increasing (Altice et al., 2019). The HIV medicines reduce the viral load, which is the number of HIV in a patient's body, and make it too low to an undetectable number. At this level, the CD4 cells are strong enough to protect the patients from other infections and HIV-related cancers. A strong immune system helps patients stay healthy.

Patients with low HIV in their bodies have very low risks of getting other infections and transmitting the virus to others. HIV-positive patients with undetectable viral load can have unprotected sex with their HIV-negative partners and still have no risk of infecting them (Altice et al., 2019). It is important for HIV patients to adhere to their medication to keep the viral load as low as possible since it helps keep their partners safe, helps them live healthy life, and helps them live longer (Geter et al., 2018). Taking medications as early as possible helps the patient to manage and treat the virus better. When patients are diagnosed with HIV, they should start using the medications immediately. It results in better positive results.

HIV treatment is a long-time treatment that needs the patient to adhere to the prescriptions given to them by the professionals. Failure to adhere to the prescriptions and appointments can result in serious outcomes. Different patients prefer different HIV medications depending on certain aspects such as HIV stage, side effects of the medications, and other medical conditions they have (Back & Marzolini, 2020). Although these medications might have side effects, their impact and benefits are way better than the side effects. Therefore, using them is better for the patients. Getting diagnosed as early as possible gives a better fighting chance to the patient.