27 Jun 05

Starting, managing and maintaining HIV treatment can be daunting and often difficult. The information available can be very complex, and this can often put people off engaging with their treatment options. So where does someone start when trying to get information about treatments without ending up thoroughly confused?

The latest campaign from Positive Campaign Group at the gay men's health charity GMFA sets out to take the key points about HIV treatment and put them together into a clear and understandable form.

The campaign, entitled 'Own Your Treatment', is aiming to encourage HIV positive gay men to engage with and become more informed about their treatment options. It was devised by a group of gay men who have plenty of personal experience of HIV treatment and taking anti-HIV drugs. The campaign will run in the gay press over the next six months, and can also be viewed on GMFA's website at www.metromate.org.uk/oyt. 

Tim Molloy, Project Manager for Positive Campaign Group said, "We often find that many HIV positive gay men feel it is important and valuable to have a sense of ownership about their treatment. This is why we feel that they should be given as much opportunity as possible to understand the different options available, enabling them (in partnership with their doctor) to be proactive and make informed choices when it comes to starting and maintaining a successful treatment regimen."

"With this campaign we hope that HIV positive gay men will feel more confident about making choices around their treatment, and since adherence is so important in any HIV drug regimen we hope that with increased knowledge positive gay men will find adherence easier to manage."

The campaign offers information on the different drugs and classes of drugs available, and how the action of these drugs works in inhibiting HIV replication. It explains what CD4 and Viral Load tests mean, and the importance of adherence to your regimen in reducing the risk of drug resistance. It explains the side effects that can arise when taking anti-HIV drugs, and advice on what to do if side effects occur, and talks about the complementary therapies available and how nutrition can be an important factor in a drug regimen.

Each advert in the series also provides contacts for further information and advice from NAM, The Information Exchange, I-Base, THT Direct and the Complementary Health Trust.