Questions for Your Doctor
Whether you are considering HIV treatment for the first time or have been using HIV medications for some time, it's likely you have questions. In fact, continually having questions and seeking information is an important part of staying healthy. To make the most of your appointments with your healthcare provider, consider keeping a journal or notebook. This notebook can contain questions for the visit, as well as answers to previous questions and other important information.
The more you ask, the more you will know.
Below are some questions to consider bringing up during a visit with your doctor. You may want to print this page and add any other questions that may be on your mind.
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Questions for those considering starting HIV Therapy:
- What are my CD4+ cell count and most recent viral load?
- What do the changes (or lack of change) in these blood tests mean?
- How often should I take these blood tests?
- Do my test results mean I should start treatment?
- At what CD4+ cell count should we consider starting therapy?
- What are the pros and cons of starting treatment now?
- What are my treatment options?
- What is drug resistance?
Questions for those definitely starting HIV Therapy:
- What are my HIV medications called and what type of HIV medications are they?
- How will this medication affect my CD4+ cell count?
- Does this drug have any known interactions with other medications I’m taking?
- How many times a day will I take medication?
- How many pills will I have to take each day?
- Are there any dietary restrictions with the medication I am taking?
- What are possible side effects? Can they be managed if I do experience them?
- Is there written material about the drug that I can look at or a good Web site with information about it?
Questions for those whose doctors have recently changed their HIV medications:
- What are the risks and benefits of changing HIV medications now?
- Will my new medication interact with the other drugs I am taking?
* "Undetectable" is defined as a viral load that is too low to be picked up by a particular test. Typically, it is a viral load of less than 400 or 50 copies/mL (depending on test used).
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REYATAZ is a protease inhibitor that helps prevent HIV replication in combination therapy. It can increase your CD4+ levels and reduce the amount of HIV in your blood to levels that are undetectable.*
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If you have HIV, focusing on both physical and mental health is key to staying healthy.
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Want to learn more about HIV/AIDS?
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