Question
What will happen if I restart ART after two months?
20 December 2022. Related: Access to treatment, Adherence, All topics, Resistance, South Africa.
Hi, my name is Ndinayo. I was diagnosed with HIV in 2015 and was on treatment since then until 2 months back when I started to work for a new company and was based in a remote location. I ran out of my medication and was not able to get any help.
So it’s been over a month with not getting my medication so I want to know what will happen if I start taking them again? Will I get sick ?
Answer
Hi Ndinayo
Thanks for your question,
As this has already happened, the best thing you can do it to talk to your doctor and then restart your meds.
Although taking this break is not a good idea, sometimes meds supplies are interrupted. Although there is a small risk of drug resistance every time treatment is stopped for more than a few day, in practice most people still do really well when they restart again.
The risk of becoming sick when off treatment depends on your CD4 count now and when you first started treatment, This is because without ART your CD4 count will return to the lowest level before ART.
If your CD4 count has always been high, then you are not at any immediate risk. If your CD4 counts went down to very low levels though, the risk is much higher.
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