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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What medications are used to treat HIV infection?

    Related Topics
    HIV/AIDS Sexual Health Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
    • 2 answers
    • Jennie Rogers nee Studdert
    • Dr Stuart Aitken
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    Jennie Rogers nee Studdert

    Registered Nurse

    I have been a paediatric registered nurse for over twenty years. I am trained asthma educator, early childhood nurse and currently work in the area … View Profile

    The medications used to treat HIV infection are known as anti-retroviral medications. Your doctor caring for you will in conjunction with you make a decision about the best time to commence you on medications for HIV. This decision will be based on your health and blood test results. Once you have the virus, it cannot be cured however using medications can manage the disease and stop it damging your immune system. In most instances you will need to take a combination of medications, this is known as HAART therapy, which stands for Highly active anti-retroviral treatment. Each different medication attacks the HIV at a different level with the aim that this stops the virus from spreading amongst the cells of your immune system. 

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  • Dr Stuart Aitken

    Sexual Health Specialist

    Dr Aitken's areas of interest include HIV medicine, sexually transmissible infections, skin conditions affecting the genitals, and gender medicine. He offers discrete, specialist consultations in … View Profile

    For people living with HIV who are starting medications for the first time, most will be able to have a single tablet antiretroviral combination. Several medications are combined into a single pill, and this is taken once a day. There are now several of these combinations, and they are safe, easy to take and very effective

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