HAART

The availability of HAART since 1996 has had a dramatic effect on the face of HIV AIDS. HAART is a customized combination of different classes of medications that a physician prescribes based on such factors as the patient’s viral load, CD4⁺ lymphocyte count, and clinical symptoms. CD4⁺ lymphocytes are white blood cells that HIV infects and kills, leading to a weakened immune system and AIDS. Though not a cure, HAART controls viral load, helping to delay the onset of symptoms and achieve prolonged survival in people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

With HAART the medical implications that HIV has have been changed. New diagnoses of OI’s and various complications have now decreased since it has been introduced. However, other neurological problems, such as peripheral nerve damage, have increased with the use of this therapy. HAART is reported to have an effect to increase lipid (fat) levels in the blood, changed glucose metabolism and other complications.

Potential interactions between HAART and medications used to treat drug addiction may decrease the effectiveness of either or both treatments. For instance, when methadone, a treatment for heroin and other opioid addictions, is administered with certain antiretroviral medications that are components of HAART therapy, the concentration of methadone in the blood is significantly decreased, potentially compromising its effectiveness. There is currently research to determineif buprenorphine which is a treatment for opioid addictions has similar problems.

One issue for people treated with HAART is sticking to the medication regimen which is needed to benefit from HAART. Adherence to HIV regimens can be hard for drug users with chaotic lifestyles, which can prevent them from following prescribe regimens. In addition, because HAART reduces viral load, some patients mistakenly believe that they do not need to adhere to the HIV treatment regimen or that reduced viral load means elimination of the risk of transmitting HIV. This belief can, in turn, lead to complacency about risk behaviors and resumption of unsafe sex and injection practices. Research has improved HIV/AIDS outcomes amoung IDU and has advanced discoveries for long term treatment of HIV/AIDS.