MONITORING YOUR LOVED ONE'S TREATMENT FOR HIV OR AIDS

By Strength for Caring

As somebody caring for a loved one with HIV, you know how important the communication between you, your loved one, and your loved one’s doctor and healthcare team is. This article is meant to serve as a guide for helping you monitor your loved one’s care.

This information is intended only as an educational aid and is not intended as medical advice. This information is not intended to discuss information related to your HIV treatment options. As always, talk to your healthcare professionals if you have any questions related to treatment or health status.

Complications of HIV Treatment

Treatment of HIV is complicated because your loved one's doctor will need to prescribe more than one medication to effectively fight HIV. The key to successful treatment of HIV is knowing which medications to use, how much of each to use, and in what combination they should be used. You, your loved one, and your loved one's doctor will need to plan ahead to determine what medications should be chosen first and which should be reserved for later, just in case some of the medications stop working.

You and your loved one can help your loved one's healthcare professionals to make these treatment decisions by being informed and staying involved in your loved one's healthcare.

Some tips for you and your loved one include:

Be sure your loved one visits his or her doctor regularly to make sure their HIV medications are working
Know that the doctor will need to perform routine tests to check on the virus and how it may be affecting your immune system
These tests include

Viral load tests
CD4 cell (also known as T cell) counts
Basic blood test

Be sure to talk to your loved one’s doctor about any side effects your loved one may be experiencing or if he or she has trouble taking medication

Treatment with HIV Medication Can be Challenging

If your loved one is taking or has taken one or more sets of HIV medications, called treatment regimens, you and your loved one are probably familiar with the wide variety of HIV medicines that are available today.

As your loved one is treated with HIV medication, it may become harder for his or her doctor to find new treatment regimens that will be effective. Deciding which medicines to use next can be complicated, especially if the HIV in your loved one’s system has become resistant to many different medications.

Caring for someone with HIV can be confusing due to many factors including:

Confusing dosing schedules
Food restrictions
Busy lifestyles
Number of pills
Medicines may cause unpleasant side effects or interact with other medications your loved one may be taking
Treatment requires a long-term commitment
Treatment of HIV is complicated

Why it is Important for Your Loved One to Talk to Their Healthcare Professional for Help and Advice

It is important that your loved one visits his or her doctor regularly, so that the doctor can determine if the HIV medications are still working. If your loved one experiences treatment failure, a number of things may happen even if they are taking all of their HIV medications. The following may happen:

The HIV levels in his or her blood may increase (viral load)
Your loved one’s CD4 cell level may drop or fail to increase
Your loved one may start to develop infections even if he or she is taking medication as prescribed

Your loved one’s doctor can tell if he or she has experienced treatment failure by routinely measuring the amount of virus in your loved one’s body, checking the number of CD4 cells, and examining your loved one for any signs of infection. Your loved one’s doctor may adjust the medications or treatment as necessary.

Tips for Helping Your Loved One Stay on His or Her Medication

Talk to your loved one’s doctor and discuss the issues that affect his or her ability to take HIV medications. Examples may include the number of pills he or she needs to take, how often he or she needs to take them, and any side effects your loved one may be experiencing.

Remember, it is important for you to talk with your loved one’s doctor and develop a plan for the long-term treatment of your loved one’s HIV. Some other tips include:

Discuss your loved one’s daily routine with his or her doctor so you can choose the best treatment for his or her lifestyle
Be aware of food requirements, side effects, and possible drug interactions
Plan ahead so you don't run out of any medicines
Use a reminder system or choose a regular daily activity to help you remember to give your loved one his or her medications (or remind him or her to take the medications on their own)
Make sure members of your support system know how important it is for your loved one to take their medications
Always remember that today's medicines and combination therapies can help your loved one in his or her fight against HIV

Your loved one’s doctor can help determine which drug therapy combination may be the best for your loved one. Today, many HIV-positive people—through close adherence to effective treatments—are living happy, fulfilling lives. This is important for both you and your loved one to remember.

What Factors Can Affect Your Loved One’s HIV Treatment?

There are several challenges to successfully treating HIV. Challenges may be related to your doctor, the virus, the medications your loved one is taking, his or her actions, and YOU, as your loved one’s caregiver.

The choice of HIV medicine is crucial and should take into account how well the medicine fights the virus, how much and how often the medicine must be taken, as well as any side effects that may occur. In addition, the choice of HIV meds can also depend on your loved one’s lifestyle. If your loved one is active or travels frequently, there may be certain meds that are easier for him or her to take than others.

The amount of experience your loved one’s doctor has in treating HIV-infected patients and his or her ability to communicate with you and your loved one about HIV and AIDS will impact your loved one’s care.

Successful treatment also depends on you. You can help your loved one visit his or her doctor regularly and fill his or her prescriptions in a timely manner. You can also remind your loved one to take all of his or her medications as prescribed in order to effectively fight HIV.

Together, how well your loved one’s medications work and how closely your loved one sticks to his or her treatment regimen will determine whether the virus is able to replicate and develop resistance.