Sometimes, it becomes necessary to change the HIV medications you are taking. If any of the following happen while you are taking a certain combination of HIV medications, it may be necessary to consider changing the drugs you are currently taking:

Your viral load becomes detectable on a medication after being undetectable
Viral load increases
Viral load remains detectable after 4 to 6 months of treatment
CD4 cell count decreases
Side effects become unmanageable
The medicine schedule set by your healthcare provider becomes difficult to follow
Symptoms of HIV disease occur

A Word to the Wise...

You and your healthcare provider may decide to switch medications based on your latest viral load results. However, switching therapy is not a decision that should be taken lightly. There a few things that you and your healthcare provider should consider before making the decision to switch:

• The 2 rule—other factors, such as a recent flu shot or an infection like pneumonia, can affect your viral load test results. So, a decision to switch medication should be based on at least 2 viral load tests and/or CD4 cell counts that are spaced at least 2 weeks apart
• Drug types—Be aware of the types of drugs you are taking. Sometimes, HIV can become resistant to a particular drug you are taking. If this is the case, talk to your healthcare provider about different medications that you can take

It is important for you to become an educated consumer of HIV medications. Get more information about the classes of HIV medications currently available.

Why Switching Is Important

If you and your healthcare provider do decide that it is medically necessary for you to switch treatment, it is important that you go ahead and switch for several reasons:

• Viral load—your viral load may continue to increase and you can get very sick
• Drug resistance—continuing to take medications that are not working can cause changes in the HIV in your body, which will make other drugs less effective in the future
• Side effects—if you switch medication because of side effects, switching can make your side effects go away