The Importance of Adhering to Your Treatment Regimen en español

What's the best treatment regimen for me?

Choosing, or staying on, the best treatment regimen for you depends on a number of factors.

First, you'll want to make sure you're on a drug regimen that has been proven safe and effective. To learn more about the most trusted drug combinations, take some time to review the following lessons:

When Should I Start Treatment, and What Should I Take First? When Should I Change My Treatments, and Which Drugs Should I Switch To?

Another factor to consider when choosing a new drug regimen—or figuring out if the regimen you're on is right for you—is your ability to take the medications as prescribed. This requires discussing things like your treatment preferences, habits and potential adherence obstacles with your health care provider, to ensure that you're taking a drug regimen that's easy for you and avoids adherence problems.

Following is a list of questions for you to consider when discussing adherence and making treatment decisions with your health care provider.

	Do you do the same things at the same time everyday (and evening), or does your schedule change a lot? The answer to this question may help determine when and how many times per day you take your meds.
	What is your typical daily eating schedule? Answers to this question could help determine what kind of food restrictions you'd be able to live with.
	Is it difficult for you to swallow pills, especially large ones? A regimen with fewer and smaller pills or tablets may be better for you.
	What other prescription or over-the-counter medications or supplements are you taking? Some medications can't be taken together, whereas others may need their doses to be changed if combined with other drugs. Make sure your health care provider knows about all medications and over-the-counter supplements you're taking.
	Would the potential side effects associated with the regimen you're considering be especially problematic for you? How would you deal with stomach problems like nausea or diarrhea? Would sleep disturbances or morning dizziness make you want to stop taking your HIV meds?

Previous Next

This content is written by the editorial team at AIDSmeds.com.
Please find profiles of this team on our "About Us" page.