Question
How long could I live taking ARVs with an undetectable viral load?
2 June 2011. Related: All topics, Living with HIV long-term, Side effects.
Hello good people out there,
I’m on treatment and my doctor is saying I’m improving and looking better. The problem I’m having is that I at times feel suicidal because I feel may be I will be dying soon. So I feel I have nothing to live for. How long can I live if my viral load remains undetectable and I am still on drugs?
Answer
Thank you for your question.
I am sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time coming to terms with being HIV positive. The good news is that with the treatments available today can give people with HIV a near normal life expectancy and a good quality of life so you have nothing to worry about. Having HIV no longer means you will die quickly. For more information please follow this link.
Which treatments are you taking? There is one treatment called efavirenz (also know as Sustiva or Stocrin) that can cause people to feel depressed and suicidal. If you are taking this treatment then you should speak to your HIV doctor about changing your medication. For more information please follow this link.
Hi,
I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis.
Many HIV positive people can now look forward to living as long as someone who is not HIV positive.
To do this you will eventually have to start ARVs. You still have time though to think about your options. In 2014 the UK guidelines used to recommend that you start treatment before your CD4 count drops to 350. Since 2016, HIV treatment is now recommended for everyone, even at much higher CD4 counts.
ARVs are the only thing that will help maintain your CD4 count. When you do eventually go on treatment this will help you live a longer and healthier life.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I am 20yrs old and I jst found out that i am HIV positive.I’m scared. Is the still a furture for me? Can i maintain my CD4 count at 570 and not take ARVs?
Hi Nobuhle,
Can I ask first why you decided to stop taking your ARVs?
When somebody stops taking ARVs the amount of virus in their body (viral load) will increase very quickly, and then the CD4 count will begin to decline. How long it takes before somebody gets sick will usually depend on what their CD4 count is. Do you know what yours is?
If you are not taking ARVs it is important that your doctor or clinic knows this and you continue to be monitored. You can read about taking treatment breaks here.
hi guys i was diagnosed with hvi last yr and i started to take arvs but then this yr feb i decided to leave them and m still doing ok…according to my knowledge if u on arvs and once u leave them u cn be sick within a week or a month but m still doing ok now i dn’t know if the test that ws used in one of public clinic was faulty or there’s something wrong with my immune system..i really dn’t knw…cn some1 tell me on how lond does one get sick if they stop arvs.
Hi Zinhle,
Your mother has given you very good advice. If you are losing weight without trying to this could mean that HIV is making you ill. It’s important that you go to a doctor to check your CD4 count and start treatment if you need to.
Modern HIV drugs are much easier to take than the old ones. It is very unlikely that you would get body shape changes with the newer drugs. Generally the new ARVs are easy to take and side effects are mild and easy to manage. ARVs are usually much easier to take than the treatment for infections caused by HIV.
Hi I was dignosed hiv positive in 2010 and I did not take arv’s. Now I’m starting to loose weight and my mother advised me to go to hospital so dat I can start taking arv’s bt I’m scared because they change yo body shape. I feel everyone will know and laugh at me when my body shape changes. My mother saysthe arv that’s available now does not change the body shape. What should I do?
Hi Pretty,
Thanks for your email. I’m sorry to hear about these body shape changes. This sounds like something called lipoatrophy. Changing medication should stop this getting worse and it may reverse some of the fat loss. Unfortunately, though, fat loss is not always reversible. There are some procedures that can help this, but I’m not sure what is available in South Africa. You can read more about lipoatrophy here. It’s a good idea to talk to your specialist about how much change they expect to see and what treatment might be available.
This can be a very difficult side effect to cope with, and it might help you to get some support with this. Do you know any other HIV+ people or support services near you?
Im 33yrs mother of 2 kids, i started to take ARVS 2010 with the cd4 cell count 210 and now is 510. after a year i become shapeless no bums, hips and thin legs. I spoke to my GP and he refers me to a specialist and the specialist change me to another medication but the result remain the same.
Hi Gideon,
I’m very sorry to hear about the financial problems you are having. Unfortunately i-Base are not able to help with financial assistance. For help with this it is better to contact a local organisation. You could try TASO- a large HIV organisation in Uganda. You can contact them through their website here.
plis i thank you 4d information u av availed 2me .am a ugandan hiv + bt and living in uganda.bt i needed 2b helped cos am food insecure living on a small salary which is not enough.hence compromising on ma diet cos i also have afamily 2tk care of .how would you help me supplement on ma income to live abetter life.