Updated, March 2008.

Next due for review, March 2009.

All drugs cause side-effects and anti-HIV treatments are no exception. Changing treatment because of side-effects is quite common. For example one study found that 20% of people starting HIV treatment for the first time changed this treatment within a year because of side-effects.

When side-effects develop

Side-effects tend to be most noticeable soon after you start treatment with a new drug. Some side-effects only develop when you’ve been taking a drug for months or even years.

What to do if you experience side-effects

Side-effects are most noticeable soon after you start treatment with a drug. As you’re body adjusts to the treatment you might find that the side-effects go away or become more manageable. 

It might be possible to control other side-effects with other drugs, for example headache pills or anti-sickness or anti-diarrhoea medicine.

Or changing your lifestyle might help, and some people find complimentary therapies beneficial.

You should mention side-effects to your doctor. Some drugs, such as abacavir or nevirapine can cause allergic reactions that can be quite dangerous. And other side-effects can get worse the longer you leave them, so it’s best to mention them as soon as they develop.

Don’t stop taking your anti-HIV drugs without first speaking to a doctor. If you are very worried about a side-effect and your clinic is closed, then go to accident and emergency or call the hospital and ask to speak to the on-call HIV doctor.

If you need to change treatment

If your viral load is undetectable and you have no resistance to anti-HIV drugs then you should be able to stop the drug that is causing your side-effects and switch to an alternative treatment.

Changing treatment can me more complex is you have a detectable viral load or you have drug resistant virus. Your doctor will have to look at the results of a resistance test to see which new treatments are suitable for you. Having resistance will also limit the number of replacements drugs that are available to you.

Other things to consider

Remember, all anti-HIV drugs cause side-effects, so it is possible that the drug you switch to might involve a risk of side-effects as well.

And there is also a chance that you might not find your treatment harder to take. Another risk is that it is not as effective as your previous treatment.

Final thought

Remember, anti-HIV treatment is meant to make you better. Don’t just ‘grin and bear side-effects. Talk you your doctor about them, as there is a very good chance that there’s something that can be done about side-effects.