Question
I stopped meds, can I begin taking them again?
14 December 2016. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.
I found out about my HIV status this year September I was then given arvs on the 18 of October I only used them for three weeks I then stop….. It has been a month not taking them, will I become resistance to the treatment if I start using them next month? my cd4count is 327. Im scared if I start using them again I will get sick so I wanna know if I can start using them again or I should take immune boosters
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
Firstly, HIV meds are very good and very safe. They work really well. Even if you have trouble with side effects with one combination, it should be easy to use a different one.
“Immune boosters” are just an advertising scan. Although companies might claim this, there is no evidence that any of them work for HIV – or anything else.
These products will not help your CD4 count, nor your HIV. The only thing that will is ARVs.
Having a month of meds isn’t ideal, but please talk to your doctor about this if you are worried.
It is great that you are thinking about restarting as the combination is likely to still work very well. For more info on restarting, please see this earlier answer:
https://i-base.info/qa/12271
Hi Samke,
When you say sick are you referring to side effects or the possibility that Odiume may not work?
I was on effivarenz and lamzid. I stopped taking it 3 years back because of denial. I decided to restart and the clinic gave me Odimune. Will this not make me sick? There were no resistance tests done.
Hi Michael,
It’s good that you want to start HIV treatment again. Please can you see the doctor about going back on treatment? There’s a good chance that the last meds will work okay.
Is it easy for you to access treatment? Please let us know. And also tell us what meds you were taking.
I’m from Africa, Zambia. I stopped taking the meds 4 months, now I want to start again but I’m scared that they can’t work well. I started taking last year April. What help can you render to me?
Hi Donovan,
It’s great that you want to start taking Atripla again. Starting again with Atripla is likely to be okay. If there is a slight risk of resistance, it’s good to test for this.
But testing for drug resistance can be different in different countries. Here in the UK, you can have a resistance test to see if the drugs are still working well. But in low income countries, resistance tests are less likely to be available.
Please let us know how long you were taking Atripla. And if you have access to your viral load and CD4 results, please let us know these too.
What country do you live in Donovan?
I stopped treatment on Atripla for 7 months now, can I go back to Atripla again until I see my doctor in 6 months’ time? I still have supplies I didn’t use. I know there is a chance of resistance but it won’t hurt right? Just perhaps the Atripla works less effectively…
Hi Cynthia,
It’s good to hear that you want to start HIV meds again. This can have benefits to your general health as well as reducing HIV to undetectable levels.
Yes, you can go to another clinic for HIV treatment (ART). But it’s important that you tell them what HIV meds you were taking. You can also ask for your medical records from your last clinic.
It’s possible that the previous meds will not work as well as they should. That’s because HIV may have become resistant to them. So you may need to take a different combination of meds this time.
But you can ask the new clinic for a drug resistance test for this.
What meds were you taking, and do you have access to your viral load and CD4 count results? Please let us know.
I stopped taking my meds for 6 months now and want to start again. Can I go to another clinic not the one I was going to last time.
Hi Lindokuhle,
I can’t comment on your clinic options, as how people access medication varies from country to country. However, its great that you want to restart medication. This is important. When you do decide where it is that you want to, and can access medication it will be important that you tell them that you’ve been off meds for years. They’ll need to check out your CD4 count as well as viral load. They should also talk to you about treatment options.
I have stopped my treatment years ago and now i want to start again. Can i attend a different clinic without having to go back to my previous one because these nurses shout.