With over 20 medications available today, HIV treatment is helping HIV-positive people stay healthier longer. But deciding to be on treatment, whether you're just starting or have been on it for a while, requires a significant commitment from you to take your meds every day exactly as prescribed and understand what the goals of treatment are. This commitment is as important as the meds themselves. So be prepared, mentally and physically, to stay with it for the long haul.

There are four main goals of HIV treatment that are generally accepted by leading medical experts and public health officials. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HIV treatment should be expected to:¹

• Keep your viral load as low as possible for as long as possible
• Restore and protect your immune system, which includes your CD4 cells
• Improve the quality of your life
• Lower the risk of serious HIV-related illnesses and death

Your meds were made specifically to fight HIV and to keep the virus from multiplying. So you want your viral load to be at an undetectable level and to stay at that level for as long as possible. "Undetectable" does not mean your HIV infection is gone, but it means that currently available viral load tests are not sensitive enough to detect the small amount of HIV left in your blood.


When your meds are working well against HIV, the virus cannot do as much damage to your immune system. This allows your immune system to maintain or increase the number of CD4 cells in your body. The higher the number, the better. Healthy people have between 500 and 1,500 CD4 cells in a milliliter of blood.


Controlling HIV with treatment and maintaining a healthy immune system give you the best chance at improving the quality of your life, in terms of your health. Feeling healthy can give you the energy and desire to focus on other things and get back to living your life.

In addition, look into certain aspects of your treatment regimen that can add further to your quality of life, including fewer side effects and the convenience of simplified dosing. Make sure to let your healthcare provider know how you are feeling overall about your meds. A daily diary can help you track your how you’re doing on your regimen and help you to talk to your doctor about it.


Successful treatment can reduce the chance of your HIV infection progressing to opportunistic infections and AIDS. The stronger your immune system is, the better able you are to fight off infections and stay healthy.

• Work with your healthcare provider to carefully select the treatment regimen that best fits you and your lifestyle, considering number of doses and pills per day, potential side effects, and food restrictions

• Take your HIV meds every day exactly as prescribed
• Ask your healthcare provider for help if you have any difficulties with your meds
• Always consult your healthcare provider before making any change to your treatment regimen or schedule

What are some of the reasons you may want to discuss a change in your treatment regimen with your healthcare provider? Perhaps your viral load/CD4 numbers aren't as good as you want them to be, maybe you just can't deal with the side effects anymore or you would like a more convenient dosing schedule to help you stick to your regimen.

Knowing about new treatment options is important to help ensure that your HIV regimen stays up-to-date. Today's expanded range of treatment options can be used to construct combination regimens that may be more effective and more convenient to incorporate into daily life and help you achieve your treatment goals.

1. Adapted from Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents (a Working Group of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council). May 4, 2006.