4 Types of HIV Drugs to Relieve Symptoms and Prevent Transmission

The use of HIV drugs aims to suppress the amount of virus in the patient's body, not to cure it. The smaller the number of viruses, the lower the risk of transmission and the less damage to immune cells. That way, sufferers are not susceptible to infection

HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune cells, specifically CD4 cells. CD4 is part of the white blood cells that play a role in destroying various viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause disease

4 Types of HIV Drugs to Relieve Symptoms and Prevent Transmission

Until now, there is no drug that can cure HIV disease. Treatment steps are only taken to control the growth of the virus, increase immunity, slow or stop symptoms, and prevent transmission to other people. This collection of HIV drugs is called antiretroviral drugs or ARVs

Consumption of HIV drugs is carried out for life and cannot miss a single dose. If this happens frequently, it can increase the risk of developing drug resistance or the virus will become resistant to the drug and the efficacy of the drug will decrease.

Various Types of HIV Drugs

HIV drugs can be combined with other drugs to increase their effectiveness according to the doctor's instructions. The following are different types of HIV drugs:

1. NRTIs (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors)

NRTI is one of the HIV drugs. This drug works by blocking an enzyme that HIV needs to multiply or multiply

The HIV virus attacks a cell in the body called CD4. After HIV enters the CD4 cell, the virus will easily multiply. To do this, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase is needed. Some of the names of HIV drugs in the NRTI class include:

  • Abacavir
  • Emtricitabine
  • Lamivudine
  • Stavudine
  • Tenofovir alafenamide
  • Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
  • Zidovudine

2. NNRTIs (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors)

HIV drugs of the NNRTI type have a way of working that is almost the same as NRTIs, namely by blocking the activity of the enzyme reverse transcriptase. The difference is that the NNRTI class of drugs does not contain nucleosides.

Both NNRTI and NRTI are generally used together to support their performance in inhibiting virus growth. There are several NNRTI drug names, namely:

  • Evafirenz
  • Nevirapine
  • Rilpivirine

3. PIs (protease inhibitors)

This class of HIV drugs works by inhibiting the protease enzyme. Protease itself is an enzyme needed to help the digestive process or wound healing.

However, protease is also a compound needed by the HIV virus to reproduce itself. By taking HIV drugs belonging to the class of protease inhibitors, the multiplication of the virus can be prevented.

That way the number of viruses in the body will decrease and reduce the symptoms that appear. Some of the HIV drug names for the class of protease inhibitors are lopinavir and ritonavir.

4. INSTI (integrase strand transfer inhibitors)

INSTI is the newest type of HIV drug available in Indonesia. The name of the INSTI class of drugs in Indonesia is dolutegravir.

INSTI works by blocking integrase, which is an enzyme needed by the HIV virus to enter the DNA of healthy cells. This drug prevents the HIV virus from multiplying, so it can reduce symptoms.

The HIV drugs above are available in combination drugs in 1 tablet, there are also separate drugs. This drug combination is given according to the doctor's instructions and according to the patient's medical condition, for example pregnancy or the presence of a co-infection such as tuberculosis (TB).

The best way to prevent HIV symptoms and complications is to maintain a schedule for taking HIV drugs prescribed by a doctor without missing a single dose. Although it does not cure, there are several benefits of HIV drugs, namely:

  • Strengthens the immune system
  • Reduces the possibility of disease infection
  • Reduces risk of resistance to HIV drugs
  • Reduces the possibility of transmitting HIV to others

The benefits of HIV drugs can also reduce the risk of several diseases, such as:

  • Viral infections, such as shingles
  • Bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis or pneumonia
  • Fungal infections, such as oral candidiasis
  • Parasitic infections, such as toxoplasmosis

In addition to taking HIV drugs, sufferers also need to check the amount of virus in the blood (viral load) and a CD4 cell count test periodically to monitor the results of treatment.

By taking HIV drugs for life it is hoped that it can suppress the amount of virus in the patient's body, thereby reducing the damage to CD4 cells. In addition, HIV drugs can also prevent infection with various diseases

HIV drugs can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription. Therefore, if there are people who experience various symptoms of HIV, immediately consult a doctor to find out the diagnosis and get the right treatment.

Label : Health cat_Health

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