Question
My partner won’t take meds, how can I help her?
6 February 2017. Related: All topics, HIV transmission, Life expectancy, Starting treatment.
My partner’s been positive for 7 years. We had unsafe sex for 2 years and I tested negative. My question is that she’s not on treatment and when I asked her she gets angry, how can I advise her?
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
No one can force someone to start treatment, people take meds in their own time and its their decision. However, you could explain the benefits to your partner. They will help her HIV, and they may also help her to live longer. This is explained in the following link, see question 7:
https://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
Also, if she’s on meds then the risk of transmission is close to zero. Please see the results of the PARTNER study for more info:
https://i-base.info/qa-on-the-partner-study/
Furthermore, its recommended by the World Health Organisation that everyone should be on medication. This is even if someone has a high CD4 count. The results of the START study influenced this recommendation:
https://i-base.info/i-base-qa-on-the-start-study-results/
Has she said why she doesn’t want to take meds? She may need some peer support.