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 Jeffery, unfortunately there is no test to trace back to when you became HIV positive. Have you been told what your CD4 count and viral load is?
I am tested HIV positive 2 days ago. How can I trace back or find out when I contacted HIV because I had couple of sexual intercourse without protection in 2021, 2022 and May 2023?
Hi David, yes you can. After testing positive you should start treatment as soon as you can. Are you able to go to a local health clinic?
Hi I’m just bought HIV test kit I show im positive but I’m no sick can I get ARV quick before I’m getting sick?
Hi Banjamin, your results are conclusive. You do not have HIV and you are not required to have any further tests.
I tested negative 4 years after last exposure on a 4th gen HIV AGAB blood test. Also did 3 oraquik after my doctor said could be false negative. Am I clean?
HI Julie, yes these tests would still remain positive.
If God forbid I was unknowingly exposed to an STD or HIV like 30 years ago and just took tests like 3 years ago, would tests still pick up the infection?? I’m feeling very sick now but years ago I didn’t have any symptoms.
Hi Eric, oral sex carries little to no risk of HIV transmission. You do not need PEP. Please see here for more information: https://i-base.info/qa/factsheets/hiv-transmission-and-testing
Hello. This is Eric. I sucked the penis of HIV infected person. Will it infect me HIV?