HIV Medicines

Source: MedlinePlus Health Topics, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Last synced 8/14/2026Status: primary verified

What is HIV? HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It harms your immune system by destroying CD4 cells. These are a type of white blood cells that fight infection. The loss of these cells makes it hard for your body to fight off infections and certain HIV-related cancers. Without treatment, HIV can gradually destroy the immune system and advance to AIDS. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS. What is antiretroviral therapy (ART)? The treatment of HIV with medicines is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). It involves taking a combination of medicines every day. ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. The medicines do not cure HIV infection, but help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. They also reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others. How do HIV medicines work? HIV medicines reduce the amount of HIV (viral load) in your body, which helps by: Giving your immune system a chance to recover. Even though there is still some HIV in your body, your immune system should be strong enough to fight off infections and certain HIV-related cancers. Reducing the risk that you will spread HIV to others. What are the types of HIV medicines? There are many different types (called classes) of HIV medicines. Some work by blocking or changing enzymes that HIV needs to make copies of itself. This prevents HIV from copying itself, which reduces the amount of HIV in the body. Several types of medicines do this: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) block an enzyme called reverse transcriptase Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) bind to and later change reverse transcriptase Integrase inhibitors , also called integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs), block an enzyme called integrase Protease inhibitors (PIs) block an enzyme called protease Some types of HIV medicines interfere with HIV's ability to infect CD4 immune system cells

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This information is for general education and is not medical advice. Always talk to a licensed U.S. clinician about your situation, medications, or treatment decisions.