Taking your pills

Something many people living with HIV find difficult is adherence. Basically this means taking your anti-HIV medicine at the same time every day and trying not to miss any doses.

Here is why adherence is so important. HIV attacks your immune system, which protects you from illness and infection. It uses your CD4 cells, which coordinate your immune system, to help it make new HIV cells. Because of this some of your CD4 cells will die and you won’t have enough to keep you well. Meanwhile the amount of HIV cells will keep increasing.

You need anti-HIV medicine to suppress the virus and stop it attacking your CD4 cells. Without it you can get sick because your immune system won't work properly.

If you miss some doses of your drugs it gives the HIV a chance to reproduce. If you keep missing doses the new HIV cells that have been created may become resistant to your drugs and they could stop working. If this happens you could get sick and have to change to a different drug.

Taking pills can seem like a daily reminder that you have HIV, but you could look at it in a different way – taking your medicine will keep you well. You will be less likely to have problems because of your HIV so you will think about it less often.

If you are having problems remembering your medicine we can send you text reminders or you could set an alarm on your mobile. You can also see a Health Trainer who can talk through the reasons you’re finding adherence difficult and help you work through it.

If you're worried about side-effects you may find that talking things through will help. Anti-HIV drugs are much easier to take now and tend to have fewer side effects. Taking all your doses will keep your CD4 count healthy, your virus suppressed and give you the best chance of a normal and healthy life.