This is a ‘Dosage’ question. Does ‘One size fit all?’

[InquisitHIV]

“One size fits all” is a description for a product that would fit in all instances. The term has been extended to mean one style or procedure would fit in all related applications. It has been in use for over five decades. There are both positive and negative uses of the phrase.

This is definitely a question of dosage. Determination of the amount to be so administered.

A complete one pill, per day, per person!  Is this dose suitable for children also?

Is there a minimum age limit on those consuming ‘all-in-one’ combination tablets?
Are babies administered with ‘all-in-one’ combination tablets?

The average American white male weighs 80 kg (176 pounds). If somebody weighs in at a tiny 40kg (88 pounds) or a big person (160kg 353 pounds) should they still only take one pill per day?

Is it in any way dangerous for a small 40kg person to swallow a whole tablet every day?

Is it recommended that a large 160kg person, only consume one tablet per day or two?

Does one size really fit all?  Does one size affect each of our bodies differently?

Does anyone out there take 2 or 3, all-in-one pills per day?

In some of the countries in which I and many other members of this international forum reside, believe it or not, there are doctors who are incompetent or not completely knowledgeable about current HIV treatments, dosage etc.

Not everyone in the world has 100% trust their doctor; most folk would agree that it’s always advisable to get a second opinion. I prefer as many opinions as possible.

There seems to be a lot of people on this forum who take the easy, perhaps well-intentioned, perhaps lazy option, and suggest to others that they should consult their doctor.

My opinion is that many HIV positive persons lack of trust in their own doctors/health care professionals, and that is precisely and obviously the reason they seek help, ask questions on this forum.

Please, kindly do not advise me to consult my doctor! About anything!

Why did I NEED to explain this?

I guess, because it may increase awareness, positive energy, peace, love and understanding, within the global POZ forum community.

[mecch]

Of course you ask interesting questions.  About one size fits all, its a topic that is discussed just about every year in this forum.  Obviously the appropriateness of the response is going to depend on the resources available for the interested parties.

I live in a developed country where we mostly trust our doctors, have a lot of resources, and are plugged into the "medical practice" of other developed countries, and their pharma science.  Dosages are tested by pharma and products put on the market to meet both business and medical objectives. 

If a person (doctor or patient) in Switzerland or any other developed country wonders about the one size fits all dosage of anti-retrovirals specifically, there is something called  therapeutic drug monitoring:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_drug_monitoring

It is expensive and I would say in a rich country, still not a guarantee everyone who requests or might benefit from it, will get it.

If you have questions about the medical practice in your country, the answers are likely to come from the practitioners with experience in your population.  This doesn't mean you have to trust your individual doctor, but the collectivity of doctors will likely have built knowledge about what is best practice in the context. 

So if there is a supply of HAART coming in, in one size fits all, the only people who know if and when it is being tweaked to meet the medical needs of, say, children, or very small people, would be the HIV+ people in that situation and the health professionals involved.   

[emeraldize]

Here's link that may interest you. http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines

Thankfully, there are a significant number of competent people, worldwide, involved in the development, study, prescribing and ingestion of ARVs for use by children, adolescents and adults.