Question
How long can I live if I restart medication?
12 February 2024. Related: Adherence, All topics, CD4 and viral load, Life expectancy.
I have have HIV and I haven’t been taking my medication for about ten years now. The doctors said I have AIDs. If I start my medication again how long do you think I can live? I also was diagnosed with PML.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Restarting your medication can help improve your life expectancy. Have the doctors currently given you an estimate without going back on treatment?
Do you know your current CD4 count and viral load?
Starting treatment again will help reverse some of the damage caused by PML. Are you currently having any active treatment for PML? Depending on the severity of PML you currently have will have a significant impact on your life expectancy.
Without knowing your current lab results/PML severity I cannot comment on expected life expectancy. With HIV treatment you can expect to extend your life expectancy, but this is multifactorial and a number of conditions will influence what outcome you can expect from starting treatment again.
Do you want to restart the same treatment you were on previously? and was there a reason you had stopped with treatment?
Josh.
Hi Ella, yes you can take PEP 3 times in a year. Multiple courses of PEP is not going to reduce how effective it is.
As you have required 3 courses of PEP this year have you considered using PrEP instead? PrEP is a treatment you can take before sex and can be taken daily or on-demand. PrEP is more effective at preventing HIV with fewer side effects.
More information about PrEP can be found here: https://i-base.info/guides/prep
Hello Josh
Can I take pep three times in a year?