All medicines have side effects and they can range from being unpleasant or not being noticeable at all. The goal of HIV treatment is to find the right combination of medicines at the right dosage that will fight the HIV in your body and cause limited side effects. When a person adheres to their medication, by which they take it every day at the same time, this helps avoid HIV to develop a resistance against the medications.

Some of the challenges that can arise around treatment also include:

• Building a routine around taking your medication every day
• Knowing what to expect when you start or switch medications
• Working out how to access treatment if you don’t have Medicare access

The National Association for People with HIV and AIDS (NAPWHA) have created some resources to help you overcome the challenges of treatment management including a database for HIV treatments and common side effects:

• Adherence to HIV medication
• How to access HIV care and treatment in Australia
• HIV treatment database

Living Positive Victoria has people living with HIV and on treatments with enough information to help you with your treatment decisions. However, we strongly encourage you to speak with your S100 prescriber before making any treatment related decisions.