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.
Hi Doreen,
If you missed one or two doses a month, this is OK. However if you can, it’s better to take them daily.
With regards to timing, a few hours either side of your normal time is OK. However, taking them sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the evening isn’t. You need to be covered for 24hr, which if you’re taking them at different times you might not be.
If you’re an issue with adherence, set an alarm on your phone.
Hello,
I’ve been taking my meds everyday but sometimes I forget and I miss a dose maybe twice a month, does this have a negative effect?
Secondly, I don’t take meds at the exact time each day, I might decide to take one in the morning and in the evening the next day, is it bad?
Hi John, great to hear you have been doing well for so long. Nuvaco is a generic version of TLD. It contains tenofovir, lamivudine and dolutegravir. The advantages compared to your previous combination include fewer side effects. However, it is often recommended to be taken in the morning because some people had trouble sleeping when this is taken at night. So long as you don’t get this problem, you can still take it at night if you want to. If it causes a problem then moving to the morning dose would be better.
I’m taking arv tablets for 16 years now and always drink them at night around8 pm I was intoduced to Nuvaco today 1st January 2021 can i continue taking them at the same time? Because at the clinic they said i must drink them in the morning
Hi Dee, don’t worry. This will not cause any health problem and is easy to do. It might mean you are one pill short though at the end of the month.
This will also be ok though if it just happened once.
I use a pill box for the week so I can see if I have taken meds or not. Even having been on treatment for many years, this works really well for me.
What happens if you took 2 pills in one day separate times if you have forgotten that you already took your pill
Hi Nomsa,
The pills Nuvaco and Acriptega contain the same HIV meds. They have different names because they are generic.
A generic drug is one that is manufactured by a different pharmaceutical company to the company that invented the medicine. Please see this guide to names for generic HIV meds https://i-base.info/guides/12423
So Nuvaco and Acriptega contain three HIV meds. They are tenofovir, lamivudine (3TC) and dolutegravir and they’re made up into one pill. In parts of Africa this pill is called TLD. And it’s a safe and effective treatment for HIV.
Atroiza is a branded pill also for HIV treatment. You can see the generic names at this link.
Hi what different between Nuvaco pills and Acriptega pills and Atroiza pills
Hi Liam,
If it’s just every now and then, then yes this is OK. However, if you can try and take them within a few hours of your normal time that’s best.
Is it safe to take my ARV meds (LTE) late of 7hours?