Aging with HIV: Maintaining Quality of Life and Monitoring Drug Interactions

People living with HIV are thankfully getting older these days — largely thanks to advances in HIV therapy. Modern treatments enable a long life with a high quality of life. Studies show that people living with HIV can generally reach life expectancy similar to those without HIV¹
Especially as the years go by and additional illnesses and medications accumulate, it is important to coordinate them well to avoid interactions. Therefore, it is worthwhile to actively consider your own HIV therapy. However, a recent European survey shows that discussions about a possible optimization of HIV therapy do not occur regularly for everyone — and some respondents even reported that they had never had such conversations²
When multiple medications come into play: watch for interactions
Different substances can influence each other — they can amplify, diminish, or in some cases cancel each other out. A simple routine in conversations with your primary physician can therefore be helpful:
● Say everything you take (including over-the-counter remedies, herbal preparations, dietary supplements).
● Ask questions when something changes for you (e.g., new accompanying medications, new symptoms, new routines in daily life).

Modern HIV therapies: highly effective and continually evolving

Because modern therapies are highly effective, in recent years there has also been work on reducing the number of active substances in HIV medications — fewer active ingredients can reduce the potential for interactions with other substances — especially when over the years more medications for other conditions are added.
If HIV therapy since the mid-1990s has typically combined at least three or four active substances, current German guidelines for HIV therapy — which doctors rely on when choosing medications — also endorse modern two-drug combinations³
With aging in mind, it is therefore useful to consciously understand your own therapy: how many active ingredients it contains and what that means in terms of interactions with other medications as you age.

Strengthening your quality of life: actively discuss therapy options
When routines change or additional medications are added, it can be sensible to discuss different therapy options and forms of administration with your doctor during your appointment. While some people manage a daily pill quite well, for others a long-acting injectable therapy may be the better solution.

Your next step: 3 questions for your next doctor visit

● How many active ingredients does my current therapy contain?
● What does that mean, in the context of aging, for potential interactions if I need to take more medications in the future?
● Which therapy options could be right for me if I want to integrate HIV treatment even better into my daily life?
Take time at your next appointment to specifically consider these questions and work with your doctor to find the therapy option that best fits your daily life.
Additional information on living with HIV and personal stories from people living with HIV can be found at www.livlife.de
Supported by ViiV Healthcare
NP-DE-HVU-ADVR-260006 – Feb 26