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 Yang,
By judgment, what do you mean? Is there any reason why your community need to find out?
Though stigma can be an issue, it’s important that you engage in treatment. This is because it’s the ARVs that will control your HIV. Once your HIV is under control you’ll be no different to a negative person. You also won’t be able to transmit HIV to sexual partners as the following explains: http://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
I’m a 20 year old female living with HIV and telling the honest truth I’m scared to start treatment because I’m afraid of the judgment that’s going to come from my community…
Hi Latimore,
I’m sorry to hear your story. But first, a positive HIV test needs to be confirmed by a more sensitive test called western blot. Please see this Q&A for more information.
However, if this test comes back confirming your diagnosis please don’t be worried. You can read more here about when you’ve just found out you’re HIV positive. As it says, even if you feel worried, frightened, upset or angry now, it will get easier. You will still be able do all the things you wanted to do before you learned that you were HIV positive.
HIV for most people can be easily managed and treated. This doesn’t mean that life will always be easy or that HIV should been taken lightly. It does mean that if you are careful, you can live a long and healthy life.
Good luck, and please let us know how you get on.
Hey. I’m Latimore, I’m 17 years old. I had unprotected sex not too long ago and it was my first time too. After some weeks I started to feel sick.. was down with the flu and had sore throat.I recently went to the hospital to check my status and the first two tests came out positive. Then I went for a confirmatory test with the HIV rapid method. The first came out positive while the serving came out negative. I’m having another test with the ELISA method soon. I’m really bothered because I feel my health has deteriorated within these two months. Not as if I had multiple partners but I just had sex once and this happened. I’m worried because I’m still young and have a whole lot ahead of me and I don’t want to die. I would start the medications if the test comes out positive but I’m bothered that I will lose a lot of weight due to the ARV. I really regret making the mistake of having unprotected sex even though I knew the dangers associated with it.
Hi K,
Unfortunately i-Base doesn’t have resources to answer more questions on HIV risk and transmission. But please see this link to all frequently asked questions.
Hai there i wanted to ask ask about hiv..i dont have any symptom but have flu and just one small red tiny bump on my hand ..was’t sure its hiv..need to speak privately.please
Hi Kelly,
What did your doctor say and your rash and throwing up?
The early stage of HIV is called seroconversion. Seroconversion usually occurs starts 1-3 weeks after infection, with average time being around 10 days. Although 4 in 5 people (80%) get symptoms, 1 in 5 (20%) do not.
Seroconversion involves several symptoms that all start at the same time. Please see the link above. Only having one or two of these symptoms is unlikely to be HIV.
It’s good that you’ve been tested for HIV. That’s the only way to find out.
Hi ,I had unprotected sex and a day later I started breaking out in a rash on my neck and chest.The rash is red with small bumps plus I woke up once during the night and throw up once .I currently havebt been tested for HIV and was wanting to get some feed back .Would the virus hit me that fast ?within a I’d show signs that early ?
Hi Jen,
I’ve replied to you personally.
Best wishes, Roy
I just got tested that I am HIV positive and I live in Bamako Mali,