Question
What happens if I miss a week of ARVs?
3 December 2021. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load.
I have been on treatment for the last 8 months. I stopped my medication for a week and just did a viral load test, it says I have a viral load of 700000. I don’t understand.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Do you mind if I asked why you missed a week? Adherence to a daily medication can be difficult and you might find a better way of managing it if you speak with a doctor.
For ARVs to be effective they need to be taken daily at the same time. This is because a constant level of the medication is required to be in your body to keep HIV suppressed. Missing a week of ARVs would allow the level of medication in your body to drop below a required amount. If it drops this low it will stop working and HIV will be able to replicate and increase its viral load. Here you can find out why taking ARV daily is important.
Missing a week means there is a chance HIV has gained resistance to your current medication. Taking ARVs until you are undetectable does not mean you can stop with taking them. ARV therapy will be required long-term to prevent the virus replicating. You may need to speak to your doctor about better ways to adhere to medication or if there is a more suitable combination.
If you have another question please get in touch,
Josh.
Hello,
I applied for asylum in a country in Europe, unfortunately I was told to go back to my first country of entry which I strongly don’t want to.
My medications finishes in 3 weeks and I can’t get any more from the hospital as they told me the insurance won’t pay.
My question: How long can I stay off medication before I finally die?
Hi Busisiwe, which country are you in? Would you be able to have your medication from home posted to you?
Hy i am a month away from home and i forgot taking my pils with me and i am taking aptega pills actually i am in another country far away so am worried what will happen as i was fully supressed
Hi Lorrain, it is not clear if you are a doctor or nurse or other health worker. Usually if someone misses some of their meds it is important to understand why. The hopefully you could help them to restart again.
MY PATIENT MISSED TAKING BIKTARVY. lAST DOSE WAS 04/12. SHOULDI BE CONCERNED?
Hi Can, it is unlikely that this will have had a significant effect on your treatment. In most cases viral load rebounds after a week. You restarted treatment sooner than this. Are you able to book a viral load test? If so booking one for a few weeks would be recommended to make sure Biktarvy is still working. Resistance to Biktarvy is rare. While it is very unlikely that your treatment has stopped working it is still best to check.
Hello doctor, for 6 days I was out of my Meds(Biktarvy). now I’m on them again. I was undetectable with under 20 viral loads before that break happens, please tell me should I worry? please
Hi Francina, I am sorry to hear this. Is your nephew now out of prison? He is able to restart his medication. Do you know what medication he takes? and what was his viral load before going to prison? After a month there is some risk of viral load rebound. To check this it would be advised your nephew have a viral load test a few weeks after restarting treatment. This will help to know that the treatment is working again.
My nephew was arrested and he didn’t take his marks for nearly a month ,can he start the treatment or what must he do ,as he was never given a chance to get his meds in prison
Hi Leon, have you had any recent tests for your viral load? After missing your treatment for a few days it would be advised to have a viral load test a few weeks after. This ensures that your treatment is still working. Has anything else changed recently that could be the cause of this reaction e.g., different medication, changes in hygiene/cleansing products or even being somewhere different? Do you know the name of the injection you were given that treated this previously?