Antiretrovirals are a type of medicine used to treat people infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). They stop the virus from multiplying.
HIV damages your immune system by attacking the blood cells that help fight infection. If you don't treat HIV, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) develops.
While there is no cure for HIV, antiretroviral treatment means it is now a chronic (long-term) condition. Antiretroviral medicines support people with HIV to live long and healthy lives.
People diagnosed with HIV usually need to take antiretrovirals for the rest of their life. Antiretroviral treatment today is simple and has few side effects.
Another name for antiretroviral medicines is 'ART', which is short for antiretroviral therapy.
To get the most benefit from antiretrovirals for HIV, it's important to get diagnosed and start treatment as soon as you can.
Antiretrovirals work by stopping HIV replicating (making copies of the virus) in your body. This allows your immune system to repair itself and stops further damage caused by HIV.
Taking antiretrovirals will help you:
Antiretroviral treatment can lower the amount of virus in your body to such low levels that it's undetectable. This means that you cannot transmit HIV to other people. However, you can still catch other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) if you have unprotected sex.
ART also helps stop you from passing HIV to your baby during pregnancy (Opens in new tab).
Sticking to your treatment and taking it as prescribed is crucial.
If you stop taking your antiretroviral medicines or skip doses:
Positive Life offers some tips for taking your ART (Opens in new tab) every day.
There are 6 main groups of antiretroviral medicines available for use in Australia.
These are:
Each medicine stops the virus replicating in a different way.
Antiretroviral therapy uses two or more medicines together. This reduces your chance of becoming resistant to treatment. It's known as combination antiretroviral therapy.
Your doctor will choose the combination of medicines best suited to your situation.
Compared to treatment options from the past, today's treatments are simple and generally well tolerated. You can take modern combination ART as a single daily tablet.
Most side effects go away after a few weeks.
Side effects from antiretroviral medicines may include:
More severe side effects are:
You may have an increased chance of side effects if you have other illnesses, such as reduced kidney function.
People who have side effects usually only have them for a few weeks after starting treatment. If you have side effects, especially if they last more than a few weeks, speak with your doctor. They can help you manage these side effects.
Many of the medicines used to treat HIV can interact with other medicines prescribed by your doctor or bought over-the-counter.
These include some:
Always check with your HIV doctor or pharmacist before taking any other medicines.
If you are living with HIV you should start antiretroviral treatment as soon as possible.
After a diagnosis of HIV, your doctor will refer you for blood tests. These tests include measuring your viral load (the level of HIV in your blood) and CD4 T-cell count. CD4 is the type of immune cell that is affected by HIV.
These tests will help to work out if you need treatment. Blood tests can also be done to work out if:
Try the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) tool to find an accredited ART prescriber (Opens in new tab).
Resistance means the virus has adapted so a medicine won't work as well as it should.
Your doctor will consider the chance of antiretroviral drug resistance before starting you on antiretroviral medicines. They can order a blood test to check you are not infected with a resistant strain before you start treatment.
If antiretroviral medicines are used individually (on their own), resistance rapidly develops. This is why your doctor prescribes a combination of medicines instead of just one. Each medicine in the combination works a different way to stop HIV replication.
You can help lower your chances of developing resistance by taking each dose on time.
If you do develop resistance, your doctor may change your medicines.
If you're taking antiretroviral medicines for an HIV infection, you should see your doctor often. It's normal to see your doctor about 2 to 4 weeks after starting treatment. You will then see them every 3 to 4 months if everything is going well.
Your doctor will arrange blood tests to measure the amount of HIV in your blood (viral load). This tells them how well your treatment is working.
HIV is undetectable when it can no longer be measured in your blood. Most people taking daily HIV treatment reach an undetectable viral load within 6 months of starting treatment.
After 2 years, if everything is going well, you may be able reduce how often you see your doctor to every 6 months.
Taking ART is the best way to control HIV and stay healthy.
You might find it useful to track your viral load, so you know how well your treatment is working.
To prevent transmission of HIV, always practise safe sex.
You may also need to see an experienced counsellor or psychologist.
Antiretrovirals can also help to lower your chance of getting HIV.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is taken by people who don't have HIV, to prevent infection. You must be HIV negative before you take the first dose. It's used at times of high risk of exposure.
PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a month-long course of antiretrovirals. You can take PEP if you might have been exposed to HIV. PEP reduces your chance of infection. To be effective, PEP must be started within 72 hours of exposure.
You can find out more about antiviral treatments for HIV at:
If you are living with HIV you may want to get in touch with the organisations below:
You can also read state-based resources such as:
Visit the Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (Opens in new tab) to read about starting HIV treatment (Opens in new tab) in:
Visit Us Mob and HIV (Opens in new tab) for information and stories about living with HIV. They have a page about medicines for HIV (Opens in new tab).
Find out how we develop and review our content.
Last reviewed: April 2026
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