Making decisions for treating the
full range of HIV disease

En español

Whether you’ve just found out that you’re HIV-positive or you’ve known for awhile, you may want to learn more about how to make treatment decisions. Project Inform has many publications which help explain the strategies that you and your health provider can use to not only control your HIV disease but also maintain and improve your health.

One basic question people often ask is simply, “What should I do?” Making Decisions about Therapies focuses on the various issues to consider when developing your plans about when and how to treat your HIV disease.

One important tool that you have is your relationship with your doctor. Building a Doctor / Patient Relationship presents ideas to think about when working with a doctor to treat your HIV. Personal Tracking Charts (PDF only) can help you keep a history of your medications or jot down notes of things you might want to discuss with your doctor at your next appointment.

HIV disease is not the same in all people. Strategies for HIV Therapy discusses many of the goals, challenges and options available when developing a long-term approach to wisely using HIV drugs. When considered together with Strategies for When to Start Therapy, these publications offer food for thought in defining a strategy that you feel good about and when to begin it.

Another area to consider is your general health. Strategies for Maintaining Your General Health can help you sort out ways to improve your health that fit your lifestyle. Two other publications, Towards a Healthy Liver and Strategies for Improving Your Immune Health, can also explain ways to keep your liver and immune system working well. Finally, Nutrition and Weight Maintenance focuses on the topics of diet, exercise, using supplements and preparing food safely.

Throughout HIV disease, people are likely to get infections. Strategies for Managing Opportunistic Infections can help prepare you for these possible infections and what you can do to remedy them.

Strategies for Third Line Therapy highlights the issues to consider if you're faced with fewer drug options. As well, Strategies for Attempting Structured Treatment Interruptions discusses the definition of an STI and the goals for attempting one.

Some of this information may be difficult or confusing to get through. Our toll-free National HIV/AIDS Treatment Hotline is available to help you sort through these issues. Feel free to call our knowledgeable operators at 1-800-822-7422 (Monday–Friday 10am–4pm, Pacific Time) or email a treatment question.