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.
Hi guys I missed my dose on Saturday and took it early on Sunday around 10 am and today (Monday) I took it at 9 am whereas my usual time was 20h00 can I take it at 20h00 same day?
Hi John,
Yes its OK to take your meds at 4am and then again at 21hrs, this won’t be an issue.
Hi I take My ARVS at 21:00 and I missed a dose only woke up at 4am remembering it so is it ok to take them immediately and again later at the regular time?
Hi Vj,
Most people will miss a dose at some point, but so long as this is not often, this is okay.
If you forget, you can take your ARVs as soon as you remember. But do not take a double dose if it’s time for your next dose.
Hi I am VJ. What happens if a person forgets to takes ARVS. Maybe 8 hours i think. What will happen to me. Am I in danger?
Hi Vuyo,
I’m sorry to hear you had to stop taking your ARVs.
But you can start taken them again. However, it’s important to talk to the doctor and ask about what ARVs you need to take now.
That’s because the old meds might not work as well as they should. You can talk to the doctor about this and ask for a drug resistance test.
There are many different HIV meds that are available now. You can ask what meds are available where you live.
Hi i am 26 of age,I’ve been taken arvs for 1 /2 year i stopped my arvs 2years now i am scared of taken them again i need advice what can i do or where can i start.please help
Hi Busie,
I’m sorry to hear that you can’t afford food. But what does the doctor say about it?
What HIV meds are you taking? Some meds can be taken without food.
But we all need to have a diet that keeps us healthy.
What country do you live in? There could be support organisations that can help. Please let us know.
I have serious challenges. I am suppose to be taking my pills morning and evening. Sometimes I don’t even have food and can’t take pills because I am not working. When I have small amounts of food. I get diarrhea hours after I took meds. This stresses me because some days I don’t even take meds because of the lack of food. What are the basic food stuffs that I can eat? So that I can be able to take meds…
Hi Gugu,
As his Q&A says, most people will miss a dose at some point, but so long as this is not every week, this is also okay.
It’s not ideal to miss doses when starting treatment. But just once should make no difference.