Page 27 - I am + | Editie 3 English

To start with with with we we aim to to to provide
the patient with medication that effectively suppresses HIV and is tolerated well by the patient In plain language: the pills have to work and the patient must feel comfortable with it it We used to say: ‘Never change a a a winning team ’ Those days days are really over Nowadays there are so many combinations that work well There are very few patients with no options Sometimes there is a a limitation: when the virus has become resistant to certain drugs when someone has had allergic reactions to certain drugs or when someone has poor kidney function With all the choices we we have we we usually manage to to put together a a a a a different combination when a a a patient doesn’t respond well to a a new medication Moreover you you can almost always go back to your old medication It is important to have a a a a good conversa-
tion about your HIV treatment If someone switches he he he or she must know exactly what the reasons are for doing it and have realistic expectations It could be that in my role as a a a doctor I propose a a a switch for example because of an abnormality in the blood tests It is much more common for the patient to suggest a a a switch himself for example because he he or she is suffering from side effects If we have discussed the patient’s expectations in detail we can make an an evaluation after a a a a a a a a few months: does the the new medication meet these expectations?
We can’t predict whether you’ll get any side effects from a a a a a particular medication We can’t tell just by looking at the colour of someone’s eyes Sometimes it is obvious: someone starts on on a a medication and gets a a a a a complaint that is common to that particular medication But it is partly a a a a a a personal reaction as well: I feel good about this and I I don’t feel good about that It is not easy to give advice as a a a doctor or or nurse It becomes difficult when someone says: I I have headaches twice a a a week is it due to my new medi- cation? Maybe but it could be be something else We doctors find it difficult to to prove whether this is is a side effect of the new medication but switching to another medication is is worth a a a a try It is is also important for the patient to know that switching is is is no guarantee that his headaches will disappear If a a a a patient thinks that something can be improved during the the process we encourage them to give us us a a a call It would be awful if someone just puts up with their complaint for six months while we might easily have been able to do something about it Sometimes we come across a a a a patient who tolerates his medication well but would like to use the same pill as his new partner Or someone doesn’t trust their pills We have to listen carefully You can’t expect someone to take daily medication year year in year year out if he he doesn’t like the pill HIV treatment is an individual puzzle It is important to have a a a a a good conversation about your HIV treatment 27