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.
I am new to this but i have a question my partner has hiv and i have been tested and mine came back i didnt have it but they said it could be in my body how long does it take to know if i would have it
Hi Josepha,
Even if you feel healthy, if you think you may have contracted HIV it’s very important that you test.
Please see Q1 here about testing info:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
I suspect that I contracted HIV 6 years ago. Since then I have feared going for testing. but I live a healthy life. What should I do?
Hi Ken,
Depression in people who are living with HIV is common. Have you sort treatment for it? Be this counselling or medication?
When was the last time you had your CD4 checked? And why did you stop taking meds? It is of course your decision not to take meds. However, as I’m sure you may be aware, people with HIV need meds. This is because its only meds that can help control your HIV.
With regards to the weight loss, this may be due to you not being on meds. However, it would also be due to other factors. How much weight have you lost? Have there been any major changes in your life, or in for example your diet?
I haven’t taken my meds in over 2yrs and I’ve lost a ton of weight. Depression I think.
Hi Phindile,
Ideally everyone who feels like they need support when starting treatment should get it. However, this will depend on what resources are available and where you live. If you live in a high prevalence area, nurses may simple not have the time to help.
There is though help out there, be this from HIV support groups, or information that is not patients. One of which is our,’Introduction to ART’ guide:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
I think people should get counseling before they start treatment because in other clinic nurse are very careless they don’t give a person a support group or counseling, they just give the patient treatment.
Hi Russell,
The first thing you need to do is sort out your medication. Have they told you how long its going to take? Could you visit a local clinic for some whilst you wait for your normal prescription? Also, what are you on, and how long have you been on them for?
Though not ideal, you’re not going to die because you’ve missed your meds for a week. So try not to panic. Do you know what your CD4 is? Having a viral load that’s undetectable is important.
I usually get my “Scripts” delivered through FEDEX. The last time I had an appointment with my Doctor, she informed me that I was “undetectable” for the virus. Wondering, how long does it take for me to “die” without taking my Perscriptions? Haven’t received my Perscriptions for about a “week” now. Have called repeatedly to the Pharmacy, to no avail no action was taken. Afraid of dying. Need to know how long do I have to live? Need to get my things in order before I leave this earth. I do not want to suffer in pain because of somebody’s else’s mistake and leave my loved ones “clueless.” Sad because I got myself in this mess.
Hi Eish,
Finding out that you’re HIV positive can be a shock. Slow down, breath and give yourself some time. And if it helps read this following:
http://i-base.info/just-found-out/
It may seem hard at the moment, but it will get easier. In time you’ll also be able to talk about. If you don’t like you can talk to your friends or family, perhaps you could try a HIV support group?
With regards to ARVs, its now recommend that everyone who is positive should be on ARVs. Therefore, starting meds is the right thing to do. It is the meds that will help control your HIV. For more info about ARvs, please see here:
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
Not all people feel or get ill, this is a case of luck. For you to know how you contracted HIV, you’ll need to think of times when you’ve been at a possible risk.