Among the doubts about AIDS, the cocktail for HIV is made with which medicines is always one of the frequently asked questions. The HIV cocktail called the anti-AIDS cocktail or antiretroviral drug started to be prescribed in the 1980s. The cocktail acts on the body in order to stop the proliferation of the virus in the patient.
The cocktail is not yet a cure for the disease, that is, it does not kill the virus in question, but acts on the other side of the coin: making the person’s health stronger and, consequently, preparing immunity to better deal with the consequences of the virus.
Therefore, it is essential that the patient makes the correct use of the medication and does not stop taking the cocktail, even in the face of its side effects. Learn more about what the cocktail is for and what are the remedies that make up the combination.
HIV cocktail for AIDS is made with 22 remedies
The HIV cocktail consists of 22 remedies. The number of medications the patient takes per day will depend on the stage of the disease and the combinations the doctor prescribes. Thinking about it, now know the most common types of remedies:
The cocktail acts on the body in order to stop the proliferation of the virus in the patient (Photo: depositphotos)
1. Protease inhibitors:
- Atazanavir (ATV);
- Darunavir (DRV);
- Fosamprenavir (FPV);
- Lopinavir (LPV);
- Nelfinavir (NFV);
- Ritonavir (RTV);
- Saquinavir (SQV);
- Tipranavir (TPV).
2. Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors:
- Abacavir (ABC);
- Didanosine (ddI);
- Lamivudine (3TC);
- Tenofovir (TDF);
- Zidovudine (AZT).
3. Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors:
- Efavirenz (EFZ);
- Nevirapine (NVP);
- Etravirin (ETR).
See also: How is AIDS treated?
4. Fusion inhibitors:
- Enfuvirtide (T20).
5. Integrase inhibitors:
- Dolutegravir (DTG);
- Raltegravir (RAL).
- Entry Inhibitors:
- Maraviroc (MRV);
6. Drug combinations:
- Lamivudine + Zidovudine (3TC + AZT);
- Lamivudine + Tenofovir + Efavirenz (3TC + TDF + EFZ).
What are used medicines for
The combination of cocktail medicines for HIV works in different areas of the body. However, its purpose is to strengthen the immune system. To give you an idea, see what some of them are for.
Darunavir and Ritonavir
These two drugs are considered to be Protease inhibitors. The intention is that the virus does not infect new healthy cells .
Tenofovir and Lamivudine
Both drugs work at the genetic level. The first prevents the patient’s DNA from being altered by the virus. The second prevents the RNA of that same virus from contaminating the person’s DNA .
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Raltegravir and Enfuvirtide
The first works in the body so that the virus does not bind to the patient’s cell and Enfuvirtide also prevents HIV from taking a cell from the patient that is healthy.
How does the HIV cocktail for AIDS work in the body?
The purpose of some of these remedies is to prevent the virus from infecting new healthy cells (Photo: depositphotos)
The HIV cocktail for AIDS acts on the body in a multiple way. However, the idea is the same: stop the virus from lodging in other cells of the individual. For this, the front lines of the drugs are: Protease Inhibitors, Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, Fusion Inhibitors, Integrase Inhibitors and Inhibitors.
The person will take the combinations according to the guidance of their doctor. However, in the body, the combinations can cause some side effects , such as nausea, fatigue, headache or diarrhea.
To alleviate some unwanted consequences, the patient can collaborate with some attitudes, such as maintaining a healthy diet and avoiding some habits, which you will see in the next topic.
Who drinks cocktail can drink beer?
No. Ingestion not only of beer, but of any type of alcohol, should not occur. Alcoholic beverages can inhibit the performance of the HIV cocktail and end up impairing treatment. Therefore, the ingestion of any type of distillate or drink that contains alcohol should not be made.
As well as other habits of life that affect the quality of life of the carrier of the virus. The patient should also avoid using heroin, morphine and methadone. Consumption of methamphetamine (Ecstasy) can be fatal.
See also: Enem issues on STDs and contraceptive methods
I stopped drinking the cocktail, what can happen?
During a congress of the International AIDS Society in Canada, a case study was presented: a teenager who lives in France controlled the virus in her body after she abandoned traditional AIDS treatment.
However, the scientific community follows the studies to understand how this happened and, increasingly cautious, makes it clear that this may have been an exception or a repetition of what already happened in the USA, when a baby was in the same conditions, but two years later, the symptoms returned.
From that, you ask yourself: “I stopped taking the cocktail, what can happen?”, The most sensible answer is: don’t stop taking your cocktail , as you may be opening the doors for the virus to infect other cells healthy in your body or get stronger in the face of antiretrovirals and accelerate health problems.
HIV data in Brazil
The job of the cocktail is, above all, to prevent the virus from binding to the patient’s healthy cell (Photo: depositphotos)
The drugs that make up the HIV cocktail have been available in the Brazilian Unified Health System since 1996 . Some combinations are more recent. A survey carried out by researchers shows that 353 thousand people get the drugs from the public health network. However, the number of infected people is much higher: reaching almost 800 thousand cases in our country.
Of the official data, 59% of the patients live in the Southeast, 19% in the South, 12% in the Northeast, 6% in the Scepter-West and 4% in the North in Brazil. The information also shows that about 33 thousand new cases are reported here every year and that in the last 20 years there has been a 20% reduction in the number of virus infections worldwide, which has 33.5 million infected people. .
Globally, there are 22 million people infected in Africa, five million in Eastern Europe, three million in the rest of the Old Continent, two million in North and Central America, another two million in South America and 59,000 in Oceania.
See also: Discover the worst epidemics in history
Is it worth taking the HIV cocktail?
Despite the side effects, it is extremely important that the patient makes regular use of the drugs that are part of the cocktail for HIV.
The combination of its functions are those that will guarantee a better quality of life for those who have the virus, preventing it from reproducing, joining or contaminating the healthy cells of your body.
If you are experiencing this situation, do not hesitate to seek psychological help to face your doubts and fears. It is natural to think about giving up, but there are always other ways to keep fighting.
Proof of this are the countless people who live with the virus and, despite the strenuous routine of treating and taking various medicines, they manage to overcome difficulties and have quality of life.
Always seek guidance from your doctor and count on the help of multidisciplinary professionals to conduct your treatment: psychologist and nutritionist are two professionals who will reduce your anxieties and the side effects of the medication.
