Patient Education / For nurses / Patient handout
Patient handout · Immune & Infectious DiseaseLiving Well With HIV: Your Medicine Guide
HIV is a virus that weakens your immune system. HIV medicines keep the virus under control, so you stay healthy and protect others.
Take your medicine every day
- Take it at the same time each day. Set a phone alarm.
- Never stop or skip doses, even when you feel well. Missed doses help the virus resist your medicine.
- If you miss a dose, follow your pharmacist's advice. Never take 2 doses at once.
- Refill before you run out.
Know your numbers
- Viral load: how much virus is in your blood. The goal is undetectable.
- CD4 count: how strong your immune system is.
- Keep every blood test. Next test: ____________.
Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U)
- If your viral load stays undetectable, you do not pass HIV to partners through sex.
- Use condoms to prevent other infections passed through sex.
- Never share needles. Do not share razors or toothbrushes.
Check before other medicines
- Tell every provider, dentist, and pharmacist that you take HIV medicine.
- Do not take St. John's wort.
- Ask when to take antacids (Tums, Maalox), iron, or calcium. They need to be taken hours apart from some HIV medicines.
Stay protected
- Get the vaccines your provider advises, including a yearly flu shot.
- Wash your hands often.
Call your provider today if you have
- A new rash
- Yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine
- A new fever, night sweats, or a cough that will not go away
- Missed doses, or you are running out of medicine
Call 911 or your local emergency number if you have
- A rash with blisters, peeling skin, or mouth sores
- Swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat
- Severe trouble breathing or chest pain
- A severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion, or a seizure
This handout supports, not replaces, advice from your own nurse or doctor.
For nurses and nursing students: the teaching guide behind this handout →