Getting into the habit

I try to take my HIV drugs at the same time every day, just before bed. I used to set an alarm on my mobile, but that wasn’t always practical. If people noticed it they would wonder why it was going off and it was hard to make up something convincing.

After a while you get into the habit. For convenience I put the drugs in a pill box – which is labelled with the days of the week. That way I can keep track and confirm that I have taken the pills each day.

It’s not so difficult to stick to the habit, but it is annoying if I want to go out. The pills make me feel strange and I can’t party like I used to! I’ve had to cut back on how much I drink and I get more tired, but I’m getting used to it. I have to be aware that I don’t end up somewhere where it’ll be hard to get home, or where I’ll not be able to cope with feeling fatigued or woozy.

It’s best if you take the drugs at the same time every day, but they say there is a little bit of leeway, so an hour each way isn’t so bad. In nearly three years I’ve only missed one dose and I took it in the morning. I think that’s pretty good going.

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