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| Coping Strategies |
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Sticking to the prescribed drug regimen (otherwise
known as adherence) is very important for people with HIV, because it can prevent or delay
the development of drug resistance. Taking the correct dose of medication at the right
time every day isn’t easy, especially if you have to take several different drugs at
different times of day, with or without certain kinds of foods. Having to take extra
tablets for side effects, such as nausea, just makes matters worse.
Missing doses
It is easy to understand why medicines can sometimes be forgotten when work or social
activities get in the way. But there may be other reasons:
- you feel well, and the drugs make you feel ill or give you
unpleasant side effects
- you feel well, and so can’t see the benefit of
continuing your medication
- you feel well, and having to take medicines reminds you of
the illness
- if the drugs make you nauseous, just thinking about taking
them brings on the nausea. This is known as conditioned nausea
- deviating from the treatment schedule - eg. mistiming doses
or taking the drug on an empty stomach - gives you a feeling of having control over the
illness
- you have concerns about taking your drugs, because little is
known about possible harmful long-term effects
- you simply forget to take your medication
Keeping to the
Treatment Schedule
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