#AskTheHIVDoc: How long does it take to get to HIV undetectable?

#AskTheHIVDoc is a series of short explainer videos from Greater Than HIV featuring top HIV doctors covering all aspects of HIV from prevention (including PrEP) to diagnosis, care and treatment, as well as the basics.

In this installment, Dr. David Malebranche, MD, MPH, explains terms like CD4 and T-Cell, viral load and HIV undetectable. He also covers the basics of HIV treatment – why it matters, how it works, when to start – as well as covers getting into care and finding support.

These videos are provided for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.

TRANSCRIPT:
Everybody's body is a little bit different.

Don't compare yourself to other people. There are some folks that start their HIV medications and within two weeks they're undetectable. There are some people that may take weeks or months to get to that point. And the answer is it's going to depend on who you are, what medication you're on, the strain of the virus, and what's working or not.

As long as we see you going in a trend where your viral load is going down. Then we know that the medication’s working. If we see a plateau, then we need to do some more investigation to figure out if the medication is actually working.

If you're taking your medication every day and the virus that you have is not resistant to any of the medication you should get to undetectable. But again remember sometimes it takes time.

Just keep on the train, keep taking the medication, keep doing what you're supposed to be doing, and then know that it may take a few months before you actually get there.

Everybody’s journey is different, so don’t compare yourself to anybody else.

[MakeUpByLeo_]

My dr was shocked when he saw the medication basically made me undetectable in less then a month! I’m so happy

[tinashematiringe]

I wanted to ask if the symptoms come collectively or you might have one of the common symptoms

[dongzkiecal]

Will it take years before you become undetectable?

[rohanyt]

Normal blood test can also detect hiv after 6 months ?

[salomethomas]

What about a dry wound of an HIV parson with blood ? If it touches by 5days open wound

[Ohveecc]

I might sound so stupid with this question. So does undetectable o untransmitted Means that you can have unprotected sex and won’t give the virus to the other partner? Sorry if I offend anyone with my dumbness.

[nansubugamadiah]

I went 4 HIV test the first check up I was postv last check up I was negative but we used different HIV test am negative or postv?help m n rply m

[KunalSingh-lzjj]

Last year i got married and had sex with my wife many times. When we gone for pregnancy test the we came to know that she was hiv positive and i wad negetive Then i decided to get divorced. Today after 9 month of all these my card test is still negetive . So can i get marry next month? Will i face any problem in future?I dont want to ruin any girl life because of all these crap happend to me so please guide me what should i do?

[Dr.pikachuu]

That's pretty shitty so does that mean you can be under the radar and fool someone that you dont HIV

[jaipoyya]

Hi I had flu 5 yrs ago and after some 2 yrs l have skin problems then now I have irregular periods does that mean I have HIV.

[therave]

its been 9 days since i was exposed, and I started using pep after 46 hrs of exposure but I am scared, bcoz I had sex with a street prostitute, while having sex safety was torn and the next day i noticed that i have a small cut on upper foreskin, and now I am so scared, can any one tell me how much percentage i have getting hiv

[balolangmanokimz]

Can an undetectable HIV person will always have a positive result if i wil have hiv test again? Really need an answer cause i have a medical requirements for abroad and one of those are HIV test..
Thanks