How to Treat HIV Symptoms

HIV is a devastating disease that has no cure. It can be transmitted by sexual intercourse, tainted blood and syringes that have not been sterilized. HIV affects many human beings on a yearly basis but what most of these people might not know about are the treatment options available to them. While there may be no current cure for this disease, this article will give you many treatment options available to HIV patients.

Things You'll Need

• Nucleoside and Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs)
• Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs)
• Protease Inhibitors (PIs)
• Entry or Fusion Inhibitors (FIs)

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Instructions

• 1

  Approved for adults only, Nucleoside and Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) like Atripla and Combivir work together with other HIV treatments that use nucleosides or "nukes" to block reverse transcriptase, which is a protein that HIV needs to make more copies of itself. This may slow down the progression of the HIV disease. These drugs can be taken once a day, which can be very convenient for you. Missing or skipping doses can cause your blood levels of the drug to fall too low and resistance can develop. When your virus becomes resistant to an HIV medication, that drug may stop working.

• 2

  Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors or NNRTIs like Rescriptor also block reverse transcriptease but these drugs do so without the use of nucleosides. These drugs are referred to as "non-nukes." These drugs are also adult-only drugs Rescriptor HAS TO BE taken three times a day, which is much more frequent than most HIV drugs. Just like NRTIs, missing or skipping doses can cause blood levels of the drug to fall too low causing resistance to set in, and when your virus becomes resistant to an HIV medication, the drug can stop working.

• 3

  Protease Inhibitors or PIs are approved for adult and children HIV treatment. Drugs like Agenerase and Norvir work in conjunction by blocking protease which is another protein that HIV needs to make copies. Most PIs have to be taken multiple times a day (up to 8) depending on the dosage levels prescribed by your physician.

• 4

  Entry or Fusion Inhibitors or FIs (Fuzeon) work very differently that NRTIs, NNRTIs and PIs in that they block the HIV from entering the cell in the first place. This can slow down the progression of the HIV disease. In addition to working differently, Fuzeon also has to be administered differently. Fuzeon has to be administered by injection and mixed properly because stomach acid will destroy the medication if taken by mouth.