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 I’m a 24 years old and due to unforseen traveling I missed 5 consecutive days of my ART treatment ..soon after returning home I went back to my usual regimen ..Please advise if I should be concerned or seek professional attention
Hi Lis,
When someone first starts meds, it’s important that they try and adhere to their medication. However, you’ll be OK with missing the one dose.
Hi will there be any problem if I miss one pill,as I have recently started with my meds?
Hi Adelaide,
Missing a dose of meds every now and then won’t be an issue. However, it’s important to try and take your meds at roughly the same time very day, as this ensures that you have the right levels of ARVs.
Hi I’m 30 years old female i had a problem about 3 weeks back i slept before my time of taking my art treatment then woke up at 4:30 am and drank my meds and took em again at my usual time tot it was just tiredness then it happened again this week on Monday i came back early from work then woke up at 5:30 I realised that i have not drank my meds because my water bottle was full n my meds were near me so i took em at 5:30 then again at 9pm at night since then m kinda worried can my meds stop working because of that i keep thinking that i will default m even having bad dreams but i think its because m concerned and have not spoken to anyone about this please help
Hi Lukhaya,
Could you please be more specific.
I’m 30 yrs old and I have defaulted for abt 2 wks bt different days will I become resistant to my treatment
Hi Vivian,
Though not ideal, you should be OK, this is because it takes a week or so for a persons viral load to rebound. If you can just for peace of mind it may be worth having a viral load test.
I lost my medication on my way back so i missed my medication for 4days. Me and my husband are discordant couple and during that time we had sex . am scared what if i infected him. It was only 4 days. My status are un detectable and i have been like this since 2010. We have sex without protection and he has remained negative for all this time. Please advice. Am 20yrs today living with HIV.
Hi Ran,
As the above post explains, this can and does happen. If it isn’t something that happens all the time, then it won’t be an issue.