Adherence: Keeping up with your meds

May 2008     View PDF     En español

A final thought

Perhaps the greatest way that adherence to HIV treatments differs from adherence in other chronic illnesses is the lack of immediate symptoms or con­sequences when adherence fails. This lack of a rapid response places more of the burden for adherence on the mind and less on the immediate reaction of the body. A person living with HIV must take a long-term view in order to have a long-term future.

Adherence also challenges many of the support systems for people living with HIV. Some doctors have less time to spend educating their patients. As well, most doctors have little or no training in the tools that might help people stay on their treatment regimens. Sometimes, in order to be fully supported, people may need to seek help from others, like treat­ment support groups, case managers or treatment buddies.

The best long-term solutions for treating HIV — outside of a cure — must focus on making better and longer-lasting therapies. These include ones that are easier to use, more easily absorbed, have fewer side effects and drug interactions, and maintain more consistent drug levels in blood. This work is under­way for some treatments that may require only once-a-day or even once-a-week dosing.

In the meantime, there are many ideas for what you can do to make the most out of your treatment regimen. Consider the ones presented here or come up with your own solutions that make the most sense for your life.