Medications to Fight HIV

To see a list of fact sheets in each category, click on the category name.

NOTE: You can see a full list of fact sheet topics on Fact Sheet 1000.

Background

401. Taking Current Antiretroviral Drugs (2 pages)
A chart showing currently approved antiretroviral drugs and standard dosages. There are notes on how to take and store each drug, and on the most common side effects.
[Revised September 26, 2014]

402. Drug Names and Manufacturers
A chart showing the various names of HIV antiretroviral drugs, including their manufacturer and year of FDA approval.
[Revised October 14, 2017]

403. What Is Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)?
General overview of antiretroviral therapy for HIV
[Revised July 23, 2014]

404. U.S. Antiretroviral Therapy Guidelines
A discussion of official US guidelines for treatment of HIV.
[Revised January 6, 2017]

405. Adherence
Adherence means taking all your pills every day, on time. This fact sheet discusses why this is so important, and gives some advice on how to make it easier to do.
[Reviewed April 21, 2014]

406. Treatment Interruptions
Many people with HIV would like to stop taking their medications, at least for a while. This might help some people, but it can have some serious risks.
[Reviewed February 24, 2014]

407. Drug Interactions
Some drugs affect how quickly other drugs are removed from the body. This can cause an overdose or drug levels that are too low to be effective. Food and herbal products can also change drug levels.
[Reviewed September 30, 2014]

408. Salvage Therapy
A description of “salvage therapy” for people with HIV who have used up most of their antiretroviral treatment options
[Revised April 30, 2018]