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When compared to those first used to treat HIV, today’s treatments have come a long way. The effectiveness of today’s treatments and a better understanding of HIV have made it so that people with HIV who start and stay on treatment can live longer and healthier lives.
There are a lot of treatment options out there that can help get and keep your viral load undetectable, which means that there is so little virus in the blood that a lab test can’t measure it. Some treatments can even be started right away, including right after diagnosis.
Learn more about starting treatment
In 2022, approximately 54% of people with diagnosed HIV in the US were aged 50 and up
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.
When you talk with your healthcare provider about what treatments might be best for you, here are some questions you might want to ask:
I want to know how this HIV treatment can work with my life.
I want to know about resistance and what part it plays in my treatment.
I want to know if I can start HIV treatment as soon as I am ready, maybe even the same day.
I want to know how HIV treatment works in someone like me.
I want to know how HIV treatment impacts my body.
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FEATURED VIDEO
People featured are compensated by Gilead.
GREG: My first doctor was this quirky, older guy who called me when I was in the midst of not speaking to anyone. And he asked, you know, “are you ready for treatment?” And that was a question that I hadn’t dealt with because I didn’t know that treatment was a thing.
And that was weird for me to deal with because it was like, well, now I get to live? And ... um ... he kind of chuckled under his breath, and that was something that, in hindsight, I can see exactly why he did that.
HIV is a disease that you can live a long life with.
He started telling me from, you know, the start, let’s talk about different medications and how those will affect you. And here’s how to have a healthy life.
I walked into the doctor’s office very scared and sad. And I left ... like I was in charge of myself again.
It’s important to be open and honest with your healthcare provider about all the things you look for in a treatment to help find the right one for you. They only have your best interests in mind and are looking to help support you along the way.
FEATURED VIDEO
People featured are compensated by Gilead.
Conversations about changing treatment are common.
We asked some healthcare providers what they think about when discussing this topic with the people they see.
DALLAS GREEN, PA: I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve had a new patient come to me, but no one’s taken the time to sit down, discuss with them, and say, “Hey, you know, I think you can update your HIV regimen here.”
HADRIAN HOLDER, MD: Switching medications can be a very challenging thing for a patient. It’s important to make sure the patient understands the switch recommendation. We’re trying to give people, you know, hopefully the knowledge to make the decision for themself and understand why you as their provider are trying to make the best decision for them.
DALLAS GREEN, PA: I always try to have a conversation over multiple visits. How do you feel about your regimen? I think there’s an opportunity here to improve your regimen. And hearing their concerns and answering their questions gives them the confidence that the decision we make in the end is going to be one that’s made between both of us.
DALLAS GREEN, PA: I use the analogy of a car. It will still get you from point A to B, but you might not have AC in the car, the seats might not be very comfortable, but it still works. Well, that might be the same as your regimen. Your regimen might still work, but we can improve that regimen. You can get some AC. You can have comfortable seats, get to A to B.
Have you ever considered changing your HIV treatment? We asked some healthcare providers what they think about when talking about this topic with the people they treat.
