5 HIV drug options used for the treatment of HIV / aids

Treatment of HIV and AIDS is generally recommended by doctors using antiretroviral therapy (ARV). This therapy consists of a combination of antiviral drugs for HIV infection. Treatment with ARV drugs is recommended for everyone living with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA), regardless of how long they have been infected or how well their condition is.

So, what are the options for antiretroviral drugs as a way of treating HIV and AIDS?

How to treat HIV / AIDS with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs)

HIV / AIDS is a chronic condition caused by infection human immunodeficiency virus.

In people who are infected with HIV, the immune system will weaken, making it difficult to protect against various infectious diseases. For most people, taking ARV drugs is very effective at controlling HIV symptoms.

This drug is expected to control viral infections so that PLWHA patients can live healthy lives while reducing the risk of transmission to other people.

Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) work by reducing the amount viral load HIV has gotten to such low levels, it may even be that the virus is no longer detected in tests viral load for HIV.

That way, HIV infection cannot cause a disturbance in the immune system. HIV viral load is the ratio of the number of HIV virus particles per 1 milliliter in the blood.

In addition, according to the information page HIV.gov, people with HIV / AIDS who regularly take ARV drugs have a very low risk of transmitting HIV disease sexually to their HIV-negative partners.

The following are the various classes of antiretroviral drugs that are commonly used in the treatment of HIV:

1. Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)

INSTIs are drugs that stop the integrase action. Integrase is an HIV viral enzyme used to infect T cells by inserting HIV DNA into human DNA.

Integrase inhibitor drugs are usually given the first time a person is diagnosed with HIV.

This drug is given because it is believed to be effective enough to prevent the number of viruses from multiplying with the risk of minimal side effects.

The following are the types of integrase inhibitors:

Bictegravir (no single drug, but available in combination)
Dolutegravir
Elvitegravir (not available as a stand-alone drug, but available in combination with the drugs Genvoya and Stribild)
Raltegravir

2.Nucleoside / Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTI)

NRTIs are a class of antiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV and AIDS.

This antiretroviral drug is tasked with interfering with the ability of the virus to multiply in the body.

More specifically, NRTIs work by blocking HIV enzymes from replicating. Normally, the HIV virus will enter the cells of the immune system. These cells are called CD4 cells or T cells.

After the HIV virus enters CD4 cells, the virus begins to multiply or multiply. Normally, healthy cells will convert genetic material from DNA to RNA.

However, the HIV virus that enters the body will change genetic material into the opposite, namely from RNA to DNA. This process is called reverse transcription and requires an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

The way NRTI drugs work is by preventing enzymes reverse transcriptase viruses copy RNA into DNA. Without DNA, HIV and AIDS cannot reproduce.

NRTI drugs for HIV and AIDS usually consist of 2-3 combinations of the following drugs

Abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine
Abacavir and lamivudine
Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate
Emtricitabin and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
Lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate
Lamivudine and zidovudine

3. Cytochrome P4503A (CYP3A) inhibitors

Cytochrome P4503A is an enzyme in the liver that helps with several body functions. This enzyme can break down or the drugs enter the body.

The method of treatment with CYP3A is to increase the function of levels of HIV drugs and other non-HIV drugs that enter the body. As a result, the effect of treatment is even more effective in optimizing the patient's health condition.

Here are some examples of ARV drugs of the CYP3A type:

Cobicistat (Tybost)
Ritonavir (Norvir)

Cobicistat taken alone or without a mixture of other drugs is not able to work as a maximum anti-HIV. Therefore, he is always paired with other ARV drugs, for example with the drug ritonavir.

The drug ritonavir can basically work as an antiretroviral when used alone.

However, when taken alone, both drugs must be used in fairly high doses. That is why, the two are often combined in order to optimize HIV and AIDS treatment.

4. Protease inhibitor (PI)

Protease inhibitors are one of the HIV and AIDS drugs that work by binding to the protease enzyme.

To be able to copy the virus in the body, HIV needs a protease enzyme. So, when the protease is bound by protease inhibitor drugs, the HIV virus will not be able to make new copies of the virus.

This is useful for reducing the number of HIV viruses that can infect more healthy cells.

The following drugs are protease inhibitors used to treat HIV and AIDS, including the following:

Atazanavir
Darunavir
Fosamprenavir
Lopinavir (not available as a stand-alone drug, but available with ritonavir in combination with the drug Kaletra)
Ritonavir
Tipranavir

Protease inhibitors are almost always used in combination with cobicistat or ritonavir, which are part of the CYP3A class of drugs.

Actually PI drugs can be given as a single drug, but doctors always prescribe by giving other antiretroviral drugs to make it more effective.

5. Entry inhibitors

Treatment uses entry inhibitors works by blocking the HIV and AIDS viruses from entering healthy T cells. However, this drug is rarely used as the first line of treatment for HIV.

There are 3 types of drugs entry inhibitor which can also help relieve HIV and AIDS.

Fusion inhibitors

Fusion inhibitors are another type of drug that is included in HIV therapy. HIV requires a host of T cells to multiply.

Well, fusion inhibitors work to block the HIV and AIDS viruses from entering the host T cells. This is because fusion inhibitors prevent the HIV virus from reproducing. Only one fusion inhibitor is currently available, namely enfuvirtide (Fuzeon).

Post-attachment inhibitors

Ibalizumab-uiyk (Trogarzo) is a drug that belongs to a type post attachment inhibitor. This drug has been used in America through several studies previously conducted by the country's BPOM.

These drugs work by preventing the virus from multiplying as well as preventing HIV from entering certain cells that can destabilize the immune system.

For optimal treatment of HIV and AIDS, this drug must be used with other ARV drugs.

Chemokine coreceptor antagonists (CCR5 antagonists)

The CCR5 antagonist is an HIV and AIDS drug that works by blocking the HIV virus from entering immune cells.

However, this type of antiretroviral is not yet definitively prescribed in the treatment of HIV and needs further research.

The currently available CCR5 antagonist is maraviroc (Selzentry).

Side effects of HIV and AIDS drug therapy

Although it is mandatory to drink it every day, consumption of ARV drugs has side effects. Usually, side effects will occur after the drug is first taken.

The following are some of the side effects that can occur:

Diarrhea
Dizzy
Headache
HIV sufferers tire easily
Nausea
HIV fever
Rash
Gag

These medications can cause side effects during the first few weeks. If the side effects get worse or last longer than a few weeks, you should consult your doctor further.

Your doctor may suggest some tips and ways to alleviate the side effects of HIV and AIDS treatment. If needed, the doctor can prescribe different drugs according to your needs.

In addition, taking more than one antiretroviral drug also helps prevent antiretroviral side effects and resistance to one of the drugs used.

ARV treatment should be done as soon as possible after being diagnosed with HIV. This is because ARV drug therapy is expected to help improve the quality of life of HIV / AIDS patients.

That way, PLWHA can live a normal life and avoid opportunistic infections that cause AIDS.