Health Tips-HIV

Health Tips

An HIV diagnosis comes with its very own set of issues to be aware of, as well as questions to ask and decisions to make. One of the most important is when you should start treatment.

Here are just a few of the most important questions to ask yourself before you start your HIV treatment regimen:

1. Why do I want to start treatment?

This extremely important question is not to be confused with, “Why does my doctor say I should start treatment?” It’s a way of asking yourself what you want to get out of treatment, and it gets straight at whether you believe that antiretrovirals are necessary to manage your HIV infection.

Starting and staying on HIV treatment is a supreme act of self-respect. This question can unmask any lurking reluctance you may have to take care of yourself. It helps clarify what your main motivation will be to take your HIV medications day after day.

2. Am I ready?

The list of reasons for starting treatment earlier than later only gets longer as the supporting data keeps rolling in. But that doesn’t mean it’s obvious when you should start. The biggest variable in sustained treatment success is you: the person who will have to take meds the right way, every day, indefinitely.

3. Which regimen will still let me live my life?

The greatest combination of medications the world has to offer isn’t worth much unless it makes it down your gullet as prescribed, every day. It can be hard enough to start taking daily medications, let alone have to make radical changes to your daily routine for them.

4. Have I surrendered to the truth that I have HIV/AIDS?

Denial and shame aren’t good for your health, and they can really interfere with your ability