Don't Sweat a Switch

Having to switch medications not long after beginning your first antiretroviral regimen can be worrisome, but it's a more common occurrence than you might think, according to an analysis of nearly 2,000 HIV-positive adults in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Of HIVers who began antiretroviral treatment during 2004 and 2005, 44.3% switched from their initial regimens to other medications after less than 12 months of therapy, according to researchers. And the good news is that making a regimen change doesn't lower your changes for virological control. Nearly 93% of the HIVers studied achieved undetectable blood-based viral levels and posted an average CD4-cell rebound of 198 during the first year of treatment. The participants' reasons for changing their regimen: >51% had side effects and drug toxicities >15.4% of them chose to >14.8 received physician recommendation >7.1% had virological failure