What is treatment adherence and why is it important?
Taking a medicine just as your doctor has ordered is called "adherence to treatment." This means taking the right amount of medicine at the right time and in the right way (with food, or on an empty stomach) and without missing or stopping a dose consistently.
Medicines that fight infections cannot work if they are not taken correctly. When a child or teen misses a dose, or if they stop early, HIV can mutate, or change, to survive the medicine. When the medicine no longer works, this is called "resistance."
Treatment adherence can be difficult because everyone forgets to take medicine sometimes. The medicine may also have side effects that make you feel bad.
If your child is having trouble taking a medicine, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. It may be that medicines can be switched to different ones or on different schedules. Parents of children with HIV can find creative ways to keep their children on schedule, such as using reminders, incentives, beepers, timers, color-coding regimens, and setting up weekly dosing packets to monitor adherence.
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