Question
Is it ok if I take my meds 15 or 30 mins late?
10 October 2016. Related: Adherence, All topics.
Do you have to take your arvs at exactly the same time each day? Will for example 30 mins (or even an hour) each way have any impact whatsoever on the suppression of the virus or cause resistance? I am worried as even though I take them every day some days it is 15 or 30 mins later or earlier than the previous day.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
It is sometimes difficult to take your meds at the exact same time everyday.
Even when starting, there is a window of about an hour either side of your target time when it is still fine to take them.
For example, if you want to take your meds every night at 10 pm, then any time between 9pm and 11pm will be fine.
Everyone has a few times when we forget our meds though.
The less this happens the better. But if it does happen once in a while then there is nothing to worry about. If you forget in the future, take them as soon as you remember. However, if this is already close to the next dose DO NOT take a double dose.
Once you get an undetectable viral load, especially if it has been undetectable for several years, you have more flexibility. This partly depends on which drugs you are using.
Some once daily drugs (including tenofovir DF, emtricitabine and efavirinz) have long half-lives. This means drug levels stay in your body for long enough to cover being several hours late or even missing a dose completely.
Several studies are looking at whether reduced dosing might be safe – for example by only taking ART for four days a week. We need bigger studies before we know if this is safe though.
Note: this question was updated in October 2016 from and original answer in April 2011.
i recently got diagonised with hiv…i m on hiv medication but my cd4 drops…what would b the reason? ..and i m taking hiv pills immediately after food sometimes..plis suggest is there any effects on my body if i take immedietely after food?
Hi Nosie,
An undetectable viral load is anything under 50. Therefore, your viral load is undetectable.
Hi guys
I’ve been on ARV’s since 2015. CD4 count is 1000+ but my viral load went from undetectable to 36 in the past 6 months. What could be the cause?
Hi Jordan,
It’s great that you’ve been on ART for 3 months. ART can reduce viral load to undetectable really quickly, often within 3 months. So you now can have a long life to look forward to.
Perhaps you can give yourself time to take things one at a time? You don’t have to tell anyone you’re HIV positive. But if you want to get married and have children, then you can! Modern ART means that once undetectable you cannot transmit HIV even if you don’t use condoms. Please see U=U here.
You can ask at the clinic if they can offer support while you’re still coming to terms with being HIV positive. And there’s more info on the i-Base site for you to read. This includes a guide to help you if you decide to have a baby.
I’m in ART for 3 months. I have no gut to tell my family and friends that I’m HIV patience. I really want to die in accident but it never happen. But, I don’t preferred committing suicide, I just want to die in any accident. My parent are pressuring me to get marry and have children as I’m only the only son. If accident never happen, can I get marry and have kids even when I’m HIV positive in undetectable condition? I’m so worry thinking for all these things.
Hi Amar,
Tenolam E contains efavirenz, lamivudine (3TC) and tenofovir. Please see this link to Atripla. Aiming for the same time each day is fine. So if you plan to take it at 7pm you could allow an hour either side. But it’s good that you’ve not missed a dose.
It is ok or not that some times i have taken PEP medicine (tenolam E) at 6 pm, sometimes at 7 pm and sometimes at 8 pm.
But i have not missed any dose till yet.
Please reply me….
Hi there. I started arv when my viral load was 700000copied. I was taking my drugs at night (10pm) and had a great reduction of my viral load. I changed my time to 6 am and from then my viral load keeps increasing. What can be the caus?. Please help.
Hi George,
The time of day that you take your meds shouldn’t have any effect on your viral load. What meds are you taking?
Hi Matthew,
Atrozia and Odiume are both generic versions of Atripla. What this means is that they both contain the same compounds. In some countries its common to be give various generic versions of Atripla.
In theory you switching between Atrozia and Odiumne shouldn’t be an issue. I would however talk to your doctor about this if you aren’t feeling too well.
Weight loss can be due to a number of things, one of which is stress.