Thread by @uequals2u

Salam Maulidur Rasul to all Muslims out there! Yes it’s a Public Holiday but advocacy works are never on pause.

So today for #InformativeTuesday we will be looking at #HIV #Treatment ! How exciting is that?

This is a thread.
#TuesdayThread

Current HIV therapy available in selected government health clinics and hospitals in Malaysia is highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

HAART therapy consists of at least three antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to suppress the HIV virus and to stop the disease progression.

All PLHIV are recommended to take antiretroviral treatment regardless of CD4 counts. By staying on medication, it helps prolonging and improving the quality of life of PLHIV.

PLHIV must adhere strictly to the treatment schedule. They will be given the first line of HAART. If the virus becomes resistant or the side effect is intolerable, second line treatment will be recommended.

The Antiretroviral drugs are listed below.
These drugs are classified according to the  different ways of action they attack the HIV virus.

1. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NRTI)/ Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (n+RTI)
a - Zidovudine (AZT)
b - didanosine buffered or enteric coated (DDI)
c - stavudine (D4T)
d - Lamivudine (3TC)
e - abacavir (ABC)
f - tenofovir (TDF)
g- Emtricitabine (FTC)

2. Non nucleoside reverse trancriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)
a - Nevirapine (NVP)
b - Efavirenz (EFV)
c - Etravirine (ETV)

3. Protease Inhibitor (PI)
a - Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r)
b - Saquinavir (SQV)
c - Atazanavir (ATV)
d - Darunavir (DRV)
e - Ritonavir (RTV)

Integrase inhibitors
a - Raltegravir

CCR5 Antagonist
a - Maraviroc

Fusion inhibitor
a - Enfuvirtide

Before starting the first line HIV therapy, you need to agree and commit to a lifelong therapy. The doctor or pharmacist will explain the benefits and risks of therapy and you need to understand the importance of adherence.

You may choose to postpone therapy, and doctors, after discussing with you, on a case-by-case basis, may elect to defer therapy based on your well being and other psychosocial factors.

This is because HAART combination requires you to take the pills at similar time of the day every day. In the initial phase of treatment you may need to visit your doctor regularly.

If you frequently miss the pills, it may not cause desirable viral suppression. If this occurs, the virus becomes resistant to your medications and cause treatment failure.

Once the treatment fails, the next step is to use second line drugs which are more expensive and have more side effects.

Once you agreed to begin the HIV therapy, the doctor will counsel on how to take the pills, how to fit in the pills into your daily routines. They should also provide dosing schedule and reinforce the importance of adherence.

You are advised to seek help from your friend or family member to remind you on taking the pills. Apart from that, doctors or staffs should provide contact numbers to assist you if any problem arises.

HIV medication can cause side effects. It may cause you to stop the pills and cause poor compliance to the pills. If this happens, you should see your treating doctor immediately.

Some of the common side effects are:
Anaemia, gastrointestinal intolerance, lactic acidosis
lipoatrophy / metabolic syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, renal toxicity, central nervous system toxicity, and hallucination and psychosis.

Source: HIV Therapy | MyHEALTH Portal, MOH.

Writer : Dr. Hasniza bt. Hasim
Reviewer :Dr. Nor Faizah bt. Ghazali

Thread by @xnxthxrmxthxr95

Link: myhealth.gov.my/en/hiv-theraph….

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