Question
Can I have a drug holiday?
26 January 2022. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load, Resistance.
What happens if you have a ‘drug holiday’ every week and miss a dose, say on Fridays? I don’t see how the virus will notice this blip as long as you continue taking your medication the rest of the week and then miss another dose the following week, etc, etc.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Why are you considering taking a ‘drug holiday’? It is not recommended as taking a missing doses increases risk of HIV drug resistance. It is not a likely possibility if you miss the dose on the same day each week, some studies have shown that missing a single dose each week does not cause a problem as the half life of the medication remains at a ‘working’ level within the body.
There is also not a benefit to this. With how long the half life of many HIV medications is, missing a single dose is not enough time to eliminate the drug from your body. There will remain active medication in your body, even on the day you miss a dose.
Josh.
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