Before starting the HIV medication, a patient should disclose if they have any health problems and any other medication that they are on to the doctor. This enables the doctor to assist them in identifying the best schedule of taking the pills and offer good advice. Therefore, competency of HIV pills taking tips is paramount in managing the disease.
Anti-HIV pills taking tips include:
Establish a dosage schedule
You should establish a schedule that one can easily adhere to. A patient can work this out with their doctor.
Read the user guidelines on each drug and follow them strictly
Some pills are to be taken on an empty stomach, some with food and some should not be mixed with certain drugs, some are to be taken twice a day that is 12 hours apart, and some should be taken a day i.e. thrice, 8 hours apart. The upholding of these guidelines ensures minimal side effects with maximum benefit.
Make sure you take all doses
If several pills are taken in a day, then one should adhere to his/her schedule as advised by the doctor. Failure to do so can lead to the development of resistance against the HIV drugs, thus requiring you to change to a different medicine.
The patient should be ready for the side effects
Diarrhea, nausea, and headaches are some of the often encountered side effects. Regardless of the side effect, a patient should continue with the pills to prevent the development of resistance. In the case of complications, you should always consult your doctor.
The pills should be stored within easy reach, but away from children
Having reminders to help in stickin
g to the schedule. Using phone alarms, a watch or storing the pills in daily dose containers which help one store the medicine according to the days of the week are some of the ways one can use. This will also help you refill the drugs on time.
Taking the pills starts with the right attitude
Accepting one’s condition and knowing that taking the pills at the right time and dosage and that many people take the anti-HIV pills make it easy for one to take the pills.
If your current dosage schedule is becoming hard to follow, a visit to the doctor can help you in getting a restructured schedule that you can be able to uphold. Synchronizing one of your daily routines with the time of taking the pills is also a good way of remembering to take the pill.