Question
How long can I live without HIV drugs?
2 January 2017. Related: All topics, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term.
Can you please tell me how long can someone live without taking HIV medication?
Answer
The best way to answer this is to say that modern HIV treatment (ART) means that life expectancy is not affected by being HIV positive. HIV positive people with access to treatment can be expected to live as long as before they became positive.
Without using HIV treatment, life expectancy is related to how quickly your CD4 count drops and how low it gets.
Without treatment, some people see their CD4 count drop to under 200 within a few years of infection, while others people can go for 5-10 years or longer before they need treatment.
See also: Your CD4 count and the risk of becoming ill.
This is different to saying how long you could live. However, without treatment, once your CD4 count falls below 200 life expectancy drops very dramatically.
Note: This answer was updated in January 2017 from a question first posted in November 2011.
Hi, I am on drug for months now but I still have bombs in my private part what can I do?
Hi Sandra,
Luck, that’s what’s going on. By not being on medication you’re risking infecting your husband. Your son has been VERY lucky. He could have contracted HIV from you.
I was diagnosed hiv for the past 6 years I have never felt sick or have any symptoms,I don’t use any medication and I gave birth to my first born son normally which I was told it would be risky and could affect him,I was also warned against breastfeeding him which I did secretly for a short period of time and my child tested negative!my husband and I always have unprotected sex and he also texted negative what’s going on?
Hi Mercy,
What country do you live in? There could be local support for you if you’ve just tested positive or if you have other reasons to talk about HIV to someone. Are you already taking HIV treatment?
I need counseling
Hi Tina,
Where country do you live in? If you’re depressed because of living with HIV, your clinic can give support and try to help you get through a tough time. Or there might be other peer support organisations that could help. What meds are you taking? And what are your viral load and CD4 results?
Am seriously depressed how can I get help
Hi Juguentes,
Many thanks for this comment.
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Hi Barry,
Many thanks for telling us your story. It’s great that you’ve never been on HIV treatment (ART) and that, presumably, you’ve not been seriously ill. It’s true that a very small number of HIV positive people have immune responses that can control HIV. But for most, HIV causes drastic damage to the immune system.
Because stigma around HIV still exists, many people find being positive a stressful thing. I’m speaking as someone who is HIV positive, and so I know.
But for many of us starting ART has meant a life expectancy similar to someone who is HIV negative. Today many HIV positive people on ART don’t get seriously ill. And we can also have great and happy lives.