HomeAnswersGeneral MedicinehivI am a 30-year-old male with undetectable HIV. Please help.

How long a 30-year-old male with HIV sustain without his antiretroviral drug?

Share

The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Shaikh Sadaf

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At June 30, 2022
Reviewed AtOctober 11, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi,

I am a 30-year-old boy with undetectable HIV. I, unfortunately, lost my last batch of Eviplera two days back. After speaking with the national health service in my country, they put an emergency prescription through for this morning to collect three pills (three days worth) of the drug from a pharmacy. After heading there, it seemed there were none in stock. I have spent the whole day looking for the medication through various hospitals and pharmacies and spoken to the doctor and head nurses. I will now have to consult other hospitals tomorrow morning for the medicine. After tonight it will be two doses missed of my medication and worst outcome three, or even a couple more varying on the outcome of whether anywhere accessible has the medication in stock. How long could you reckon for the virus to become detectable or mutate to become resistant to the medication? I have been taking ARVs for the past 11 years. Please help.

Answered by Dr. Shaikh Sadaf

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern. I am sorry that you have to miss your important doses.

It takes some time from negligible virus load to develop viral copies and then those to develop resistance to your medication which are not available. Viral replication takes two to three days. If the start levels are negligible, then it can take five to six days. I suggest you ask your virologist to prescribe an alternative medication for the same.

Thank you.

Patient's Query

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I will enquire about alternate medication while searching for the medication tomorrow. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Shaikh Sadaf

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You are welcome.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Shaikh Sadaf
Dr. Shaikh Sadaf

Endocrinology

Community Banner Mobile
By subscribing, I agree to iCliniq's Terms & Privacy Policy.

Read answers about:

hivantiretroviral

Ask your health query to a doctor online

General Medicine

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. iCliniq privacy policy