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#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.

For more information resources, visit https://www.greaterthan.org/treat.

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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.