Question
Should my viral load be undectectable after 5 months?
18 April 2008. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment.
I have been on treatment for 5 months. My viral load went from 400,000 to 126 and my CD4 count increased from 189 to 438.
Should I be undetectable by now and should my CD4 be higher? I was disappointed that I am not undetectable by the fifth month and my CD4 count is not higher.
Am I expecting too much too quick?
Answer
There are a wide range of responses to treatment.
With viral load, although some people become undetectable after a month and many get there by three months, some people take a bit longer. Guidelines generally recommend getting to less than 50 copies/mL by 6 months.
Are you being adherent? (ie not missing or being later with meds). Are you following the food recommendations that come with some drugs?
If these are both ok, then because you are now almost there, waiting to see your results after another month may be all you need to do.
Your CD4 response is great. HIV-related illnesses are not very common once your CD4 count goes above 350. One recent study suggested that once if gets over 500, with long term treatment (in this study after 7 year), your life expectancy becomes similar to an HIV-negative person.
My viral load was 109,000 copies/mL when I began treatment in April, and my CD4 has risen from 280 to 860 at the most recent reading, but my viral load still remains detectable at 63 copies/mL even after 3 months of treatment. Maybe it just takes time, hold on in there.