Question
How can I get my CD4 count to increase?
26 May 2011. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load.
Hi – what can I do to help increase my CD4? I have just found out I am at undetectable level after 8 weeks on treatment which is great. my CD4 has gone from 95 to 166 (after 4 weeks) and is now 173 after 8 weeks. I know it can take time for the CD4 to recover when the base level is low as mine but I am still disheartened as I was really hoping for it to have rebounded a bit better than this. What can I do to help it increase? Many thanks for your advice.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Your CD4 count is doing really well and increasing nicely. Most people take 6-12 months for their CD4 counts to increase significantly. You are doing really well and have nothing to feel disheartened about.
There is very little anyone can do to increase their CD4 counts accept using HIV treatment which you are already doing. However, there are some things that you can do to maintain your CD4 count and ensure it stays up. This includes eating a healthy balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, not getting stressed out, not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation and generally looking after yourself.
hi
I am hiv+ before 3 year.
I always taking madecine timely
Now my cd4 is….431 and cd3 average is 1170
It is normal or not? if not then how can i normal it? Before few 5 month
I am always smoking
Or i am ill with fever before 7 days continue. Smoking can danger for my life?? what should i do?? Plz help me?? Plz reply.
D
Hi Princess,
I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Your CD4 count is very good though. As the answer above shows, you can’t increase your CD4 without treatment. But eating well and looking after yourself may help this to stay more stable. It will go over time though and this is normal. Most people start treatment when their CD4 count is around 350.
It’s up to you whether or not you speak to the person you think infected you. It’s important though that you remember that it’s not always possible to know who infected you. Many times people have thought they were infected by one partner, and found out that this isn’t true. The most important thing is to look after yourself and your own health.
Since you live in South Africa you may want to contact the Treatment Action Campaign, who are based in South Africa. They may be able to suggest local support groups who can help you deal with your diagnosis.
Hi,i just found out that im hiv positive and that was on 18 December 2012 and my cd4 count is 480;how do i keep it balanced and how so i face the person that infected me?is that important to let him know how he thought bad abt me because he surely knew about his status
Hi thank u for replying. As u said side effects would improve, they have . I’m on the fourth week of treatment and i feel great. Hope i will start to gain weight soon. Thanks again
Hi Melissa,
During the first weeks of treatment side effects can be quite difficult. These should improve over time. If they don’t get better please talk to your doctor as you may be able to change to a different combination.
You should stop losing weight when your immune system starts to get stronger. This will take a week or two but, again, please speak to your doctor if you continue to lose weight.
For more information about Tribuss side effects please follow this link to our side effects guide.
Hi, I’m HIV+ and my doc has recently put me on tribuss. i must say the side effects are really intense. i feel druged all the time . Its been two. weeks now and two days since I’m on this med but i find that i still lost some more weight. My doc told me that i would stop loosing weight and that i would gain but i find that i lost more . when will i start to gain weight weight with tribuss? And what can i do or use to stop loosing weight?
Hi Onele,
The only way to increase your CD4 count is to take ARVs. No supplements or herbs can do this. Although your CD4 count is good it is under 350 which is the normal level to start treatment in most countries. Has your doctor spoken to you about starting ARVs?
Hi I am positive and my CD4 count is 341. I have lost weight but I’m not on treatment yet. I want to know if folic acid and bico can boost my CD4 count?
Hi Jason,
I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Your test results are all very good though. CD4 counts fluctuate and CD4 tests aren’t very accurate. You really need to see a trend over a few CD4 counts to know whether it’s going down or just fluctuating about 500. Please follow this link for more information about CD4 counts.
I tested poz mid August 2012. I had my fist CD4 cound and viral load test done mid September. My CD4s were in the upper 500s and a viral load of 18,000. They wanted to have a recheck in 2 months before making any decisions on what to do. So I went in for new blood work 11/16/12 and just got my results back on 11/30/12. My CD4s are down to 467. I dont know what my viral load is, its not on my test results. I see the doctor this Friday 12/7/12 to discuss the results. I am just curious though if it is natural for there to be such a big difference in CD4s in 2 months?