There’s been a lot of discussion about the value and safety of taking a supervised break from your HIV treatments (called a structured treatment interruption). The consensus now is that they may have more risks than benefits.

Doctors had hoped that taking structured treatment breaks would help to prime the immune system to control HIV without the use of anti-HIV drugs. Studies have shown that this is not the case.

However, another reason why some people are interested in them is the opportunity they may give individuals to take a break from anti-HIV treatment and its side-effects.

The potential benefits of a structured treatment interruptions were thought to be a boosted immune system and fewer side-effects.

In early 2006 a big international trial called the SMART study, which used CD4 cell counts as a guide to stopping and restarting HIV treatment, was stopped early when it was found that people taking a break from treatment were much more likely to become ill not only because of HIV but due to other serious causes as well. Another treatment interruption study conducted in Africa - an arm of the DART study - was stopped soon after when it was shown that people who took treatment breaks after fixed cycles of treatment were more likely to develop AIDS-defining illnesses.

If you are considering taking a break from your treatment, make sure that you discuss it carefully with your doctor beforehand.

Don’t take a break from your treatment if your CD4 cell count is below 200 – there’s a very real risk that you could develop a very serious infection. Treatment breaks are not recommended for people who have taken a lot of anti-HIV drugs before and are finding it difficult to find an effective combination of drugs.

If your lowest ever CD4 cell count was below 200 you are at higher risk of developing AIDS-defining illnesses during a treatment break.