What is the risk from stopping antiretroviral treatment (ART)?

The long answer

The risk of becoming ill from being off ART while the clinic is closed depends on two things.

1. How long you are off ART. The less time you are off ART the better.

2. Your HIV history. The risk will be higher if HIV ever made you seriously ill. The risk will also be higher if you ever had a low CD4 count. Not everyone will have a CD4 count test now, but this used to be very commonly used.

You can read more advice on this on the i-Base website. (i-Base is an HIV information organisation). You will find answers to these questions:

1. What if I am running out of meds?
2. What if I still have some meds left from a combination with several daily meds?
3. Could I take fewer doses to make my meds last longer?
4. Can I share my meds or borrow some from a friend?
5. Can I register at a different clinic?
6. What if I already stopped ART?
7. Will I be okay if I have to stop ART for a short time?
8. Do some people have a more urgent need for ART?
9. What is the risk from stopping ART?
10. What if HIV did make me ill before or if I had a low CD4 count?
11. What if I get new symptoms after stopping?
12. What will happen to my viral load off ART?
13. Will U=U still work if I have to stop ART?
14. Will stopping ART affect my sexual partners?
15. What happens to my immune system after stopping ART?
16. How fast will my CD4 count drop without ART?
17. What are the signs of a low CD4 count?
18. Can I take PrEP instead of ART?
19. What if I have run out of medicines for other infections, for example TB?
20. Will ART work again when I do restart?
21. How can I stay healthy without ART?
22. Can people who use the clinic do anything else to help?
23. Who wrote this information – and further links

Wishing you the best,
Simon