What is the best combination?

There isn’t one answer to this question. This is because drugs that agree with one person can be more difficult to tolerate for another.

Any combination should be:

• Strong enough to reduce your viral load to below detection.
• One you can tolerate and follow the daily schedule and stick to any dietry restrictions.

Guidelines recommend a few combinations first. The most commonly used combinations are discussed later in this guide.

Your doctor will discuss with you which combinations are more likely to get your viral load undetectable. If you have taken HIV drugs before, or have drug resistance, this will affect your choice.

Ask for information about dosing schedules, pill size and side effects. This will help you pick a combination that is right for you.

Get involved in choosing your treatment. If need to fit to your life, schedules and routines as much.

Being able to share with my relatives and close friends has helped me a lot. My boyfriend always asks me if I took the pills at time.

I’ve been taking HIV treatment for the last 20 years. When I started, no one would had imagined the choice we have now. I now feel truly optimistic about the future.

As new drugs become available, choices will become even more individualised. A good relationship with our doctors and nurses is important: we’ll probably need to see them for years!

— Xavi, Barcelona