Side Effects of Antiretroviral Therapies

So far, there has not been too many quality vaccines or therapies formulated that can effectively fight HIV. All those therapies that are commonly administered are not free from side effects. However, the side effects of antiretroviral therapies are not very fatal or life threatening. Considering the deadliness of HIV, these therapies are good bargains.

Side Effects of antiretroviral therapies differ from one another. Some of them cause mild psychological disturbances while others cause physical problems. The intensity of the side effects of antiretroviral therapies depends on whether the correct and the most suitable drug have been taken by that particular person at the right time in the right quantity. One drug may not yield any side effects in one person for several years, while for someone else, it may cause problems.

Duration of Side effects of antiretroviral therapies:

Side effects of antiretroviral therapies can be both long term and short term.

• Short term side effects include headache, diarrhea, and nausea. They may arise a few days after taking the therapy and may go away in a few days as our body gets familiar with those drugs.
• Long term side effects include nerve damages (neuropathy), fat redistribution (lipodistrophy). These problems may arise several days after taking the drugs and may stay with the patient.

Some common side effects of antiretroviral therapies:

• Efavirenz: Causes psycho neurotic problems
• Protease inhibitor: Raises blood cholesterol, weight loss or weight gain
• Maturation inhibitor: No serious side effects if given to the right person at the right time
• Entry inhibitor: fatigue, dizziness, numb feet, skin itchiness, swelling, headache (these are very temporary)
• Blood spectrum inhibitor: Sugar problems, diarrhea
• People may age faster due to some drugs.

Precaution of side effects of antiretroviral therapies:

• Doctors should be well acquainted with all the drugs that they recommend, as not all drugs suit every one. A wrong drug can lead to many side effects.
• The doctors must know which drug is suitable at that particular stage of the disease. A wrong decision can also cause side effects.
• HIV disease itself gives rise to certain physical problems which are similar to the side effects of the drugs. The doctors must study, whether these problems are arising due to the aftermaths of HIV or the drugs. According to that the drugs may be altered.

How to deal with problems of side effects of antiretroviral therapies:

• Eat healthy to stay healthy as drugs cause weakness in our body.
• The method of taking the drugs may be changed
• Avoid smoking and drinking as these could worsen the matter.
• Consult the doctor, if the side effects are severe and persists for a long time.
• Alter the drugs and time of consuming the drugs only after consulting the doctor.

Side effects may be a common problem but they are not as deadly as the disease itself. Therefore, instead of worrying about the side effects, continue taking the drugs to reduce the prevalence of HIV in the body.