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AIDS – Treatments and Medications

Treatments and Medications for AIDS - What are the treatment options for AIDS? What are the common drugs and medications used to treat AIDS? Learn more about the treatment options and medications for AIDS.

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Treatments and Medications for AIDS

New York (USA), November 28, 2014

What are the treatment options for AIDS?

Why it can sometimes be difficult to treat and manage an AIDS?

What are the benefits and risks of various treatment options for AIDS?

What are the different medicines usually prescribed by doctors for AIDS?

What are the common drugs and medications used to treat AIDS?

What are the generic and brand names of drugs used for the treatment of AIDS?

Learn more about the treatment options and medications for AIDS.

AIDS – Treatments and Medications

There is no single permanent cure for AIDS. Nonetheless, many treatment options improve quality of life and your health. These include:

Emergency HIV Pills: If you have been exposed to HIV in last seventy-two hours, take post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP immediately. This anti-HIV medication stops infection. PEP treatment continues for four weeks and side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue. Regular blood tests are essential to monitor your progress.

Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs): This treatment fights AIDS infection and reduces spread of virus. Highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART consists of a combination of medications according to individualistic characteristics. You take pills in specific dosages at specified timings. Side effects include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, moodiness, skin rashes, alterations to adipose tissue, and birth defects. Treatment continues for entire life.

Anti-Diarrheal Medication: It is common to suffer from diarrhea if you have AIDS. Often, people stop medications due to acute diarrheal conditions. Very recently, US Food and Drug Administration have approved Fulyzaq, the first anti-diarrheal medication for AIDS patients. This crofelemer 125 mg delayed-release tablets best suit those undergoing antiretroviral therapy for AIDS.

Medications

A variety of drugs in different combinations is used to control AIDS. Each class of drug blocks AIDS in a distinct manner. It is best to combine a minimum of three drugs from two different classes to avoid immunity. These classes include:

Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors or NNRTIs: These include etravirine (Intelence), efavirenz (Sustiva), and nevirapine (Viramune). NNRTIs disable specific protein required by HIV to multiply.

Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors or NRTIs: These include combination drugs emtricitabine and tenofovir (Truvada), Abacavir (Ziagen), and lamivudine and zidovudine (Combivir). NRTIs are faulty versions of building blocks HIV needs to multiply.

Protease Inhibitors or PIs: These include darunavir (Prezista), atazanavir (Reyataz), fosamprenavir (Lexiva) and ritonavir (Norvir). PIs disable protease, a protein required by HIV to multiply.

Entry or Fusion Inhibitors: These disallow HIV from entering CD4 cells. These include enfuvirtide (Fuzeon) and maraviroc (Selzentry).

Integrase Inhibitors: Raltegravir (Isentress) is an integrase inhibitor. It disables specific protein HIV requires to insert its genetic material into CD4 cells.

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Written By:
Dr. Marilyn Thompson