Question
What happens if I stop taking treatment?
31 August 2016. Related: Adherence, All topics, Changing treatment, Side effects, Southern Africa, Stopping treatment.
What are the side effects if someone stops taking her medication for HIV?
Answer
Thanks for your question.
May I ask why you are thinking of stopping? Many people find adhering hard at some in their lives but there are ways to make it easier. Likewise if you are suffering side effects – you can switch to meds that better suit you.
Several years ago a very large study called SMART reported that stopping treatment increased the risk of serious complications. These included a higher risk for heart, liver and kidney complications in people who stopped treatment and also a higher rate of some cancers.
If you decide to stop treatment, your viral load is likely to rebound within a few weeks. If you stay off treatment your CD4 count will start to drop over the next few months. When this happens the risk of developing other infections and getting sick increases.
How quickly this will happen though varies a lot. The lower your CD4 count was when you started meds, the quicker your CD4 is likely to fall without ART.
In the SMART study, most people who took a treatment break did pretty well for a short time. However, most people were not able to recover their CD4 count to earlier levels even 18 months after they restarted treatment.
Please talk to your doctor about who you feel. It is not generally good to stop treatment. It is definitely not good to do this without first talking to your doctor.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I’ve been taking my medication for 8years now they changed it to module 2 it change my body shape im thinking to stop it
Hi Hlengiwe,
It’s good that you’ve started ARVs. But what does the doctor say about your symptoms?
Do you have access to your CD4 count and viral load results? And please let us know what ARVs you are taking.
If you think you’re having a bad reaction to your ARVs it’s important you see the doctor about it.
Hi yesterday I went to clinic to start my ARVs my problem is I’m suffering from slepping and my Virginia is itching I even think of stop to use ARVs plz help I don’t know what to do
Hi Fortunate,
I’m so sorry to hear your story. It’s appalling to hear that you’ve been raped.
Where do you live Fortunate? If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign. They can offer local help and might put you in touch with organisations you can talk to.
As you say, you have been a victim, but that’s not a reason to hate yourself.
It’s really good to know that you didn’t give up on your life. Can you get back in touch with the doctor or clinic who gave you the ARVs? You can ask them for someone to talk to who can help you get through this tough time.
Please let us know how you get on.
Best wishes, Roy
I’ve stop ARVs for 11 months due to distress I’ve got so Manny things worries me got no one to talk too except that I didn’t gave up on my life only the pill’s I gave up on.I’m a victim of rape several tym so don’t think pill’s will help me cause I even hate my self.
Hi Lelo,
I’m sorry to hear this. Do you mean your brother’s liver is damaged? Did the doctor say why this is?
Unfortunately we are not doctors at i-Base. But we do give information about HIV treatment (ART) to HIV positive people and friends and family.
Please let us know what ARVs your brother is taking. Do you know if he has access to his CD4 and viral load results?
Hello my brother went to a dokter the sad his leave is damaged he must stop Arv jst 4 two weeks he must drink multi vitamin
Hi Unknown,
Weight loss due to ARVs isn’t something that’s common. If you’re losing weight, this could be due to a number of reasons, one of which is lifestyle. If you can, you should talk to a doctor about this.
Hi I tested HIV positive on 2010 but started arv’s in 2015 because I was pregnant.
I am starting to have showing bones on my face and it’s affecting my self esteem and I’m getting depressed about how I look. I even thinking of stopping taking them.
Hi Patty,
Did you have side effects the first time you took them?