HIV Treatment

HIV Treatment: The Basics

Last Reviewed: January 14, 2025

Key Points

  • The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines daily, monthly, or every other month.
  • While ART cannot cure HIV, prompt HIV treatment can help all people with HIV live long, healthy lives and reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
  • One of the primary goals of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level, which nearly eliminates the risk of transmitting HIV through sexual contact.

What is the treatment for HIV?

The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV treatment regimen) on a regular schedule, usually every day (pills) or once a month/every two months (injections).

ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. ART cannot cure HIV, but these HIV medicines help people with HIV live long, healthy lives. ART also reduces the risk of HIV transmission.

How do HIV medicines work?

HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 T lymphocytes (CD4 cells) of the immune system. Loss of CD4 cells makes it hard for the body to fight off infections, including opportunistic infections and some HIV-related cancers.

HIV medicines prevent HIV from multiplying (making copies of itself), which reduces the amount of HIV in the body (called the viral load). Having less HIV in the body gives the immune system a chance to recover and produce more infection-fighting CD4 cells. Although there may still be HIV in the body, the additional CD4 cells keep the immune system strong enough to fight off infections.

By reducing the amount of HIV in the body, HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. One of the main goals of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level. People with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV through sex, and a significantly lower risk of transmission through other means (such as shared needles).

When is it time to start taking HIV medicines?

People with HIV should start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible after an HIV diagnosis. It is especially important for people with AIDS-defining conditions or within 6 months of HIV infection (called early HIV infection) to start HIV medicines right away.

Women with HIV who become pregnant and are not already taking HIV medicines should also start taking HIV medicines as soon as possible. It is important for people with HIV to take their HIV medicines as prescribed, which could be every day (pills) or every one or two months (injections).

What HIV medicines are included in an HIV treatment regimen?

There are many FDA-approved HIV medicines available for HIV treatment regimens. The HIV medicines are grouped into seven drug classes according to how they fight HIV.

The choice of an HIV treatment regimen depends on a person's individual needs. When choosing an HIV treatment regimen, people with HIV and their health care providers consider many factors, including possible side effects of HIV medicines and potential drug interactions.

What should people know about taking HIV medicines?

Taking HIV medicines keeps people with HIV healthy and prevents HIV transmission. Taking HIV medicines exactly as prescribed (called medication adherence) also reduces the risk of drug resistance.

However, sometimes HIV medicines can cause side effects. Most side effects from HIV medicines are manageable, but a few can be serious. Overall, the benefits of HIV medicines far outweigh the risk of side effects.

In some cases, HIV medicines can interact with other medicines in an HIV treatment regimen or with other medicines a person is taking. Health care providers carefully consider potential drug interactions before recommending an HIV treatment regimen.

If you believe you are experiencing side effects from HIV medicines, it is important to consult with your health care provider before stopping or adjusting your normal treatment regimen.

This fact sheet is based on information from the following sources:

From the NIH Office of AIDS Research:

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

From the Department of Veterans Affairs:

From the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases:

Also see the HIV Source collection of HIV links and resources.