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 Kimmy, do you have a question?
Just
Hi Chandru, please see here for more information: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Hi I have had multiple sex (different partners) over time and all protected intercourse and oral sex but some time like 4 or 5 times unprotected oral sex do I need to worry about HIV
Hi Vijay, have you had any recent HIV tests? It is always importnat to be aware of your status.
The symptoms you experienced the day after having sex would not have been caused by HIV. The next day is too soon for HIV symptoms to occur. As you are now experiencing these symptoms again after 5 months it remains more likely that there is another cause. A test will rule out HIV but if your symptoms continue you should speak with your doctor.
HI,i did unprotected sex with a male(that male penis inserted in my ass) ,i am also a male ,on 28 feb,2023 i did sex after next day ,i got symptomps such as swoolen lymph nodes,pain in body,fever then i went to doctor,doctor checked my body(not disclosed unprotected sex)doctor given vitamins,after 1 months ,i was again healthy as ever but again after 5 month,i am getting symptoms like muscle pain,sore throat and back pain, rashes on the body , stomach pain should i worry should i get tested , are there any chances that i am hiv negative ,what should i do ? please mail the ans
Hi Eric, your symptoms are not being caused by HIV. The tests you have done are conclusive. While you have been experiencing these symptoms have you mentioned them to your doctor?
Hello my name is Eric i had sex with an hiv positive person in 2021 I took a test 3months after last contact 6months after that then 3months after that all came back negative but I see sings like sweating heavily when i sleep small puss buttons on my skin tiredness and now i get colds more often than i use to is it possible after 22yrs no treatment i can actually be hiv positive
Hi Mas, are you on treatment? and do you know your viral load/CD4 count? How long have you been experiencing this brain fog?
Mas hi ime HIV pos have been for 20 years my body is aching and my brain fog is getting worse can you tell me how do I no it’s turning into aids ?