Keeping to Your Treatment Schedule

Keeping track of your medicines and staying on your treatment schedule are vital parts of keeping healthy and becoming and/or remaining Long-term Undetectable (LU). It is very important that you take your medicine exactly as directed by your doctor or pharmacist—which means taking every dose at the right time, every time.

To make sure you don't forget to take your medicine, you could:

• Schedule your medicine at the same time you do other daily activities, like brushing your teeth or going to bed. Note that many medicines need to be taken at regular intervals, so make sure you consult your doctor before altering your medicine schedule.
  
  
• Use visual cues; for example, leave notes or objects in various places that will help remind you to take your medicine.
  
  
• Keep a log monitoring the medicines and medicine combinations you are taking, the dosage amount and time, and any special instructions. Keep your treatment log up to date, store it in a safe and handy place, and bring it to doctor's appointments so he or she can keep track of how you are doing and help you if you are having trouble.

It is very important that you do not run out of your HIV medicine. Always keep your prescriptions and refills up to date. Take advantage of pharmacy systems that automatically prepare or send you your refill. If your pharmacy does not have such a system, make sure you're aware of when your medication will run out and don't let it.

Missing doses of your HIV medicine will decrease the amount of medicine in your blood, and could mean an increase in the amount of HIV, which could make you sicker and even lead to drug resistance.