Question
I missed my meds for 4 days, will I be OK?
7 May 2019. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
I’m traveling for work and forgot my meds…Meaning I will miss 4 doses of Biktarvy
My viral load has been undetectable for nearly 10 years now and I am otherwise in very good health… so how dangerous is missing 4 doses?
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
Meds needs to be taken every day to make sure that there are always good drug levels in your body, Getting the timing right means you still have good levels when you come to taje the next dose. This is for week day and weekends, every day in the year.
Luckily though, as drugs have become better, they also provide cover if you are sometimes late.
Though missing four days is not good, you should be okay. This is because after ten years, levels of HIV will be very very low. If you do this often though, you might develop drug resistance.
Your partners will also be okay from this time. It usually takes a couple of weeks for a viral load to rebound. As soon as you get home, make sure that you take your meds. If possible you may want to have your viral load checked.
Hi Mariah, when did you last have a viral load test? and are you able to take your meds with you when you go and visit him?
Missing your meds regularly can risk your viral load becoming detectable and there is some risk of treatment resistance.
Treatment needs to be taken daily to ensure that you can rely on U=U: https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Do you want to tell your boyfriend that you are HIV positive? and/or do you think it would be safe for you to take you medication at your boyfriends without him knowing?
Hello…I have been undecteded for almost 16 year now but since last year 2023 almost every weekend I dont take my meds coz I met a new boy friend and i go visit him friday and come back Sunday and have not yet disclosed my status to him
Hi Oz, after 2 month unfortunately your viral load will rebound. Do you know when you are able to restart treatment?
I have been undetectable for the last 8 yrs but I have been out my meds for like 2 months will I be still undetectable
Hi Mary, it is great to hear how long you have been undetectable for. There is no risk of transmission to your friend.
As there has been more than a day between contact with the same iron AND the iron heating the blood, it would be impossible for HIV to be transmitted. This is on top of you being undetectable which already makes the risk of transmission as low as possible.
You can eat raw onion after your ARVs. What treatment are you on? Most HIV treatment can be taken with or without food. Eating a raw onion after taking your pills is not going to have any impact on your medication.
Hi I have been undetectable for 6years now
So on the January 10th this 2024 and the result came out below 20 so on February 19th and incident happened an iron in my bathroom wounded my skin a little blood came out so on the 20th the next day my friend who come to my house the same iron wound her too .I have been so down with fear since that day please is there a possibility that she will be ok am so scared for my friend.
And for the past 2days now I have been so scared after eating a little raw onion after taking my ARVs and someone told me is wrong to eat onion after taking a drug so this whole situation is giving anxiety too much. I just hope my friend will be okay.