ADHERENCE 101: (Basic Adherence Information)

What does adherence mean? Adherence means to stick or comply with a prescribed medication the way it was prescribed by your doctor. This includes strictly following the timing of doses. Example: If your doctor prescribes a medication every 12 hours, you need to follow a schedule every 12 hours like taking medications at 7am and 7pm.

Why is adherence to my HIV medications important? Adherence to HIV medications is important because depending on your level of adherence your medication's efficacy will last longer. If you take your medications erratically, the virus that you are carrying will develop resistance or, in other terms, will lose the ability to control the virus and you will loose viable options of care.

What level of adherence is better? Persons living with HIV/AIDS who are prescribed medications are expected to be adherent over 95% of their prescribed doses. The lower your adherence level, the higher your risk is of developing resistance to the medications you are taking.

How does the HIV medications work? HIV medications work by blocking different important steps that start from the entry of the virus in the cells until the production of copies of new virus.

What happens if I don’t take my HIV medications the way my doctor prescribed to me? HIV is a very smart virus and it makes copies of itself millions of times per day. If you take your medications erratically, what you are doing is exposing the HIV virus to suboptimal amounts of medication. With time, if this continues to happen, the virus will be able to become resistant to the medications which means that the medications you are taking will not control the virus anymore and the disease may progress.

What does barriers to adherence mean? Barriers to adherence are a number of situations that prevent a person to be adherent to the HIV medications and to medical care.

What are examples of adherence barriers? There are multiple known barriers that may impair a person's capacity to be adherent to HIV medications. These are some examples: poverty, homelessness, active alcohol and substance use, educational level, medications, side effects, pill number, etc.

How can a patient overcome any existing barriers to adherence? By working as a team with your provider he can identify any barriers and refer you to different agencies and providers that can help you overcome barriers. Examples: Referral for housing assistance, substance abuse detoxification or rehabilitation programs, mental health, nutritional services, etc.

Is it important that I feel ready prior to starting HIV medications?  Definitively; this is very important and you, as a patient, and your provider, have to work together to decide if you are ready to start this very important commitment. As you know, current medications don’t cure HIV but can control the virus to levels that cannot be detected in your blood and improve your immune system.

What can I do to remember to take my medications on time? There are multiple interventions that you can use to remember to take your medications on time.  Some examples are:

• calendars - pillboxes  -  alarms ( clocks)
• personal calls  - home visits  -  Direct Observed Therapy

What do I need to know about my HIV medications? It is very important that you educate yourself about HIV and the medications that you are taking, especially the most common side effects, dosing frequency, interactions with other prescribed and over-the-counter medications. It is important that you ask your provider to provide you with this important information.