Question
What happens if I miss a dose?
5 February 2018. Related: Adherence, All topics.
Hi,
I’m aged 28, female, im starting this new Atroiza today. I’m responsible but what happens if I miss a day or 30 min off drinking my tablet.
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your email.
The best reason to aim for the same time every day, is so that you get into a good routine. This will help you make your meds an easy part of your life. This is especially true when you first start treatment until your viral load becomes undetectable.
Generally it is OK to have a window of an hour either side of your normal time to take your meds. So if you aim to take it at 9 pm each day so long as you take it between 8pm and 10pm this will all be fine.
Most people will miss a dose at some point, but so long as this is not every week , this is also okay.If this keeps happening, please talk to your doctor about things that might help. The more doses you miss though the more likely that you will develop drug resistance.
Please see this page about adherence for more information.
Note: This answer was updated in February 2018 from a question first posted online in September 2013.
patiamo
iv started taking them Arvs this year January….
so i have been on them for 5 months….
and another thing is i drink too much like im not taking meds. ..but i make sure i drink them even thou…. andim also thinking of changing my time for taking my pill from 20:00 to 22:00….cz at eight its so early and i sleep late…
In the clinic i told them about my weight loss they didn’t want to give me anything….
i was from 74.00 kg now im at 69.00 kg….
they only gave me white pills and said it will help me to gaining weight or to hv appetite…im not sure….
i must drink two pills everyday….I’ve said alot….lol
Im thinking of going to another city to stay…
How many days does a transfer take..
because id like to go as soon as possible….
Hi Boyboy,
Your smoking won’t affect your viral load. However,smoking isn’t good for anyone and this includes people who are positive. Have you talked to a doctor about getting help to quit smoking?
Have been on meds for two years but i cant stop smoking.. my viral load is undetactable the first 7months ..can it affect my viral load and life spen
Hi Jay,
There is a chance that your viral load will have started to rebound, therefore when you go and collect your meds please tell your health care professional that you missed your meds.
Though our lives can get really busy, its very important that you find the time to collect your meds. This is because you risk developing resistance if you miss your meds on a regular basis.
Good day i ran out of my arv’s and was unable to go to the clinic…it has been four daysofand i may only be able to go in the next three days. Will this have an effect? I know it is not an excuse and my health should be more important,but i am a fulltime student and was busy with exams with one to 3 days apart from writing.
Hi Patiamo.
Because you’ve been off meds for 2 weeks is very likely that your viral load will have rebounded. This is because their’s no AVS in your body to help control the virus. Are you intending on restarting them? If you are, please tell your doctor that you’ve missed a few weeks worth of meds.
Weight loss can be due to a number of reasons, one of which is stress.
Hi
i didnt drink my Arv pills for 2 weeks and im losing weight could this be the results of Skipping my dose for this long…. help im terrified, could the medication have stopped working?
Hi Lemah,
Yes, you can take it tonight at your normal time. That should be fine. You are right not to take a double dose. Most people occasionally miss a dose. It only becomes a problem when missing a dose keeps happening.
Morning I forgot to take my Tribuss last night for the first in a very long time. My viral load is undetected but I woke up feeling light headed which I think was due to not taking my meds. Can I take it tonight normal time so I don’t double dose myself by taking this morning
Hi Elroy,
It’s good that you were stable on treatment with an undetectable viral load. But accidents happen. It’s a good idea to talk to the doctor about this. You can ask that your viral load is monitored to make sure there is not viral rebound.