How do I manage my HIV and my mental health?
Mental health refers to your overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and affects how you think, feel, and act. Everyone’s mental health status is different, and many people have mental health concerns from time to time, but people living with HIV have a higher chance of experiencing mental health challenges. One of the most common mental health conditions faced by people living with HIV is depression.
Mental health challenges are thought to be caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors. They are not caused by personal weakness, and they are
not your fault.
Many mental health conditions are treatable, and many people with mental health conditions recover completely with treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider about any mental health challenges you may be experiencing.
Prioritize HIV treatment
You can start treatment as soon as your healthcare provider (HCP) recommends it. Some treatments can even be started the same day that you are diagnosed. You may hear this called rapid start.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
An important way to stay healthy while living and getting older with HIV is to keep checking in with your healthcare provider about your health, not just now, but in the future. Establishing a routine of talking with your healthcare provider about all parts of your health can help you be proactive when anything else occurs.
Learn more about livinghealthy with HIV
What if I am struggling with alcohol or substance use?
If you are currently struggling with alcohol or substance use, it is important to know that this can affect your immune system, can impact how your medicine affects your body, and can make it harder for you to reach your treatment goals.
If you need help dealing with these issues, talk to a member of your healthcare team. If you are looking for any resources to help you, here is additional support that may help.
I am living with HIV. Is smoking worse for me?
Smoking is dangerous for everyone. It harms nearly every organ of
the body, causes many diseases, and can negatively impact overall
health. However, the risks of serious health consequences are
higher for people
with HIV.
Smoking has been associated with medical problems in people with HIV, including:
- Lung cancer and other non-AIDS-defining cancers
- Heart disease
- Pulmonary (lung) infections
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Bacterial pneumonia
If you need any support to help stop smoking, here is some support that may help.
What if I am on other medications?
If you are on any other medications, including herbal and over-the-counter supplements, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about them. It not only helps give them a full picture of your health, but it also informs them when selecting or switching to the right HIV treatment for you.
Know that many HIV medicines can be taken safely with other medicines, including hormone therapy. It’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about any possible drug interactions with HIV medicines because different medicines may affect how your HIV medicine works. And HIV medicines may affect how other drugs work.
Some HIV medicines need a booster to make sure that enough
medicine is present in the blood to manage HIV. Boosters can have
interactions with many other drugs and may change how well those
medicines work
in the body.
I am living with HIV, and I’m pregnant or planning to be. What
should I know?
It’s possible to have a healthy pregnancy for both you and your baby while living with HIV. It’s important to know that there are risks with pregnancy regardless of HIV status—that’s why it’s necessary to have an open and honest conversation with your healthcare provider about if you want to have children now, or in the future. People living with HIV may also have additional considerations when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. Talk to your healthcare provider to discuss the appropriate care for you and your pregnancy.
Talk to your doctor as soon as possible if you are pregnant or planning for pregnancy. Some things to keep in mind:
- The goal of treating HIV while pregnant is getting to and keeping your viral load at an undetectable level through all stages of pregnancy. Undetectable means that there is so little virus in the blood that a lab test can’t measure it. The risk of transmitting HIV to your baby can be 1% or less if you take HIV treatment as prescribed throughout pregnancy and delivery and give HIV medicines to your baby for 2 to 6 weeks after birth. Work with your healthcare provider to find which treatment options are right for you. If you are already taking HIV treatment, work with your healthcare provider to see if you can stay on your current treatment during pregnancy.
- Regardless of your life plans, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider so you can keep your options open. There are many HIV treatment options that may be taken throughout pregnancy.
- If you are breastfeeding/chestfeeding or plan to breastfeed/chestfeed your baby, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about considerations and options. When you’re undetectable throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery, and breastfeeding/chestfeeding, the risk of transmitting HIV through breastfeeding/chestfeeding is less than 1%.
Check to see if there’s a healthcare provider (HCP) in your area with experience treating people living with HIV.
FIND AN HCP NEAR ME
