- Treatment, not a cure
- When to start treatment
- Starting anti-HIV treatment
- Anti-HIV drug classes and names
- First combination
- Which nucleosides/nucleotide?
- Questions to ask your doctor before starting treatment
- Changing treatment if your viral load becomes detectable
- Changing treatment due to side-effects
- Changing treatment due to lipodystrophy
- Salvage therapy
- Treatment breaks
- Further reading
- Personal Stories
Which nucleosides/nucleotide?
Anti-HIV treatment combinations almost always include two nucleoside/nucleotide analogues.
The current nucleoside/nucleotide combinations recommended for use by people who have never taken anti-HIV drugs before are:
**Truvada - this is a combination pill that includes FTC (emtricitabine, Emtriva) and tenofovir (Viread).
**Kivexa, - this is a combination pill with abacavir(Ziagen) and 3TC (lamivudine, Epivir). But it should be used with caution if you have a high viral load or have a risk of heart attack.
Combivir (AZT and 3TC combined) is not recommended for most people. This is because AZT has been linked with fat loss. But Combivir might be an option if you are pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant. This is because AZT is very good at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
HIV medicine is evolving very quickly. You can get regular updates on HIV treatments and the best ways to use them by visiting www.aidsmap.com. You can also get a free subscription to AIDS Treatment Update (ATU), NAM’s monthly treatments newsletter, email info@nam.org.uk.
