Question
How long can I live without HIV drugs?
2 January 2017. Related: All topics, Life expectancy, Living with HIV long-term.
Can you please tell me how long can someone live without taking HIV medication?
Answer
The best way to answer this is to say that modern HIV treatment (ART) means that life expectancy is not affected by being HIV positive. HIV positive people with access to treatment can be expected to live as long as before they became positive.
Without using HIV treatment, life expectancy is related to how quickly your CD4 count drops and how low it gets.
Without treatment, some people see their CD4 count drop to under 200 within a few years of infection, while others people can go for 5-10 years or longer before they need treatment.
See also: Your CD4 count and the risk of becoming ill.
This is different to saying how long you could live. However, without treatment, once your CD4 count falls below 200 life expectancy drops very dramatically.
Note: This answer was updated in January 2017 from a question first posted in November 2011.
Hi Caro. If you are HIV positive – or think you might be positive, then contacting a doctor r health clinic is important. The will let you get the monitoring and treatment that will help you stay well. This is just a little virus that is easy to treat. Please don’t bottle up your fears. Many of us have been through similar experiences – it is better to connect with people who can help.
i ave fear abt mahself i can’t even consult a Doc after knwng i am hiv positive.
Hi, if you are HIV postive and on treatment it is important to continue. If you stop treatment the HIV comes back and risk you becomeing ill in the future. Please talk to your doctor about your concern. The meds will reduce the chance of you getting sick in the future.
i am puzzled by what is mentioned here went for testing a month back and my results came positive with a cd4 count of 416 then the doctor put me straight on Arvs i didint show any signs of being sick i’m just normal i just wanna know the effects if i continue with the treatment
Hi Keith, do you anyone to talk to about how you feel. Loosing a parent can be very difficult but there are ways to move forward. This is much easier with support. If you are gettign symptoms now that considering going back to ART might at least male you feel better by not having symptoms like thrush etc.
I’m a 23 year survivor of HIV. I’ve taken my meds regularly for the most part. I took a two year holiday from 2000-2002. Went back on them, taken religiously until april 2014 and have been off since. Thrush is really bad but other than that I feel great. I do not advocate HIVers not taking their meds. My decisions will have repercutions. I’m tired already. Beginning to have digestive issues with the h-pylori bacteria so a little afraid but I feel great. My mama died 5 years ago and this world has left very little appeal since then. I want to be with her.
Your husband has just been very lucky. There is still the chance he could become HIV positive in the future if you are not using condoms. If you start HIV treatment, this would reduce the risk to your husband.
I diagnosed with HIV over ten years ago. I am not taking any treatment. My husband and my children are negative. How is it possible?
Hi Thandi,
In most countries people are recommended to start treatment when their CD4 count is 350 or below. If this is the guideline in your country then it is likely that your doctor is waiting for your CD4 to be at this level before starting treatment. In the UK you would be likely to have your CD4 count checked after 3 months, but the guidelines may be different where you are.
Although there is a slight increased risk of opportunistic infections when your CD4 count goes below 350 the reality is that it is very unlikely that you will get sick when your CD4 count is this high. The highest risk of HIV related illness is when your CD4 count is below 200. Please see our Introduction combination therapy guide for information about CD4 counts and risk of illness.
I ve been diagonised for two months now and cd4 count is 364 was told am ok not to use medication should come back after 6mnths for another check up am I not going to get sick if I am not taking any medication