Question
Are there any injectable ARVs? I don’t want to have to swallow pills.
22 October 2014. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Injectable ART, Newly diagnosed, Southern Africa, Starting treatment.
Hi I a young lady and i just found out that I’m HIV positive. My CD4 count is 368 at the moment. My doctor recommended that I start treatment as soon as possible so I would like to know if there are any ARVs on injections because I just can’t swallow pills everyday
Answer
Hi,
I am sorry to hear about your diagnosis.
There are currently no ARV injections. There are some in development but these will not be available for a while.
There are pill combinations available now where you only need to take one a pill a day. Sometimes on the UK if someone has trouble swallowing pills they are given lower dose pills that are smaller. These are usually used for children. There would be more pills this way though.
In South Africa it is recommended that you start treatment when your CD4 has fallen to 350. Your doctor has started talking about treatment because you are close to that. You do not have to rush into anything though, you have time to prepare yourself to start treatment. You can also take time to discuss your treatment options with your doctor.
You can find information about being newly diagnosed on our website.
Hi Moses,
I’m sorry but I don’t know. However, if you find it difficult to swallow your ARVs you can talk to the doctor. Some ARVs can be crushed or split. But not all of them.
So it’s important to discuss this with the doctor first. Some ARVs don’t work properly if you crush or split them.
When will the injecteble ARVs start to be used in Uganda?
Hi Hillar,
Are you talking about your viral load? I’m asking because its not possible to have a CD4 of 16,500.
If you’re ready to restart meds this is great. Its really not too late. The best thing is to book an appointment to see your doctor. They should test your CD4 count as well as your viral load. Depending on where you live they may also do some resistance test.
hello have been on ARVs since 2009 and at first i used to take my meds well and my CD4 was very good then i started getting tired of swallowing or some times forget i even spent 3months without taking them bcoz i had travled now when i took the CD4 again this early jan 2018 the results were bad i had 16500, is there any way you can advice