1 Year Later Without Medications

[Roger1]

I've been positive for about 9 years now and started seeing an infectious diseases specialist about 1 year ago.  She said my blood count was good and took me off the medications I had been taking for 8 years.  My viral load slowly went up as expected until my most recent test.  4 months ago my CD4 was 673 and the viral load was 14,000.  My current test came out to CD4 747 and a viral load of 4,000.  I don't always take care of my health has good as I should.  I'm happy with the results, but I'm also confused on what could possibly cause the viral load to go down with no medication?

[Iggy]

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[newt]

Hello Roger, welcome

Viral load results vary by a factor of 3. The figure you get back could really mean that your viral load is 3 times higher than the test result. It could also mean that your viral load is is as low as 1/3rd of the test result.  Your two results, 14,000 and 4,000 could indicate a level viral load.  You can't really tell much from two viral load tests, it's the trend from several tests that counts.

The good news is that your CD4 is well in the normal range (500+) and your viral load is low.

- matt

Now playing: Ben Taylor, Day After Day

[Ihavehope]

I was under the impression that we all had to stay on medications for the rest of our lives regardless of how good our CD4 cells and undetectable viral loads looked. I only have read that they are telling people to stop meds in clincial trials but not from and ID specialist. Can someone please give me some feedback.

[koi1]

Well some people are able to keep stable numbers once their cd4 and viral loads are stable for a year or more. However most experts believe that drug resistance to the regimen you were on before you went off meds is quite probable and those will no longer be an option in the future should you need meds again. So most people that I have talked to agree that if you have a good regimen with little or no side effects, it is not advisable to go on  a drug holiday.

rob