HIV, Antiviral & Infectious Disease Me Guides

What HIV, Antiviral & Infectious Disease Medicines covers

This section covers antiretroviral medicines used to treat and prevent HIV, along with other antivirals and medicines for infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

South Africa runs the largest antiretroviral treatment programme in the world, and the medicines here are dispensed to millions of people through public clinics and private pharmacies. The guides exist because a dispensing label often carries a brand or combination name — Acriptega, Hetvir, Reydin, Telatri — while explanations elsewhere use the individual ingredient names. Matching the two is genuinely difficult without help, and that is what these pages do.

Most modern HIV treatment is a fixed-dose combination: two or three antiretrovirals in a single daily tablet. Acriptega, for example, combines three ingredients. This matters when reading about “your medicine”, because information written about one component describes only part of what you take.

The section also covers antiretrovirals used for prevention — pre-exposure prophylaxis, and post-exposure prophylaxis after a possible exposure — where the same ingredients are used by people who do not have HIV.

Browse individual used-for guides

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Fenivir used for

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Kavimun used for

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Sonke used for

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Zidovudine used for

Most searched questions in this topic

How the guides in this section differ

Combination or single ingredient. Most first-line treatment is a single daily combination tablet. Some regimens use separate tablets. A guide for one ingredient describes that component, not necessarily your whole regimen.

Treatment or prevention. The same medicines appear in both roles. Which applies depends entirely on the individual circumstances, and the guides do not assume.

First-line or switched. South African treatment guidelines set out a standard first-line regimen with defined alternatives for side effects, resistance, pregnancy or other conditions. Being on something different is common and is not a sign that anything is wrong.

Antiretroviral or other antiviral. Medicines for herpes, hepatitis and influenza are antivirals but work quite differently and are used for entirely different conditions.

Reading a South African antiretroviral label usually means separating three things:

What you see	What it is	Why it matters
A single brand name on a once-daily tablet	A fixed-dose combination of two or three antiretrovirals	Information about one ingredient describes only part of your regimen
A manufacturer prefix, such as Mylan	The company, not a different medicine	The active ingredients are what count
Separate tablets taken together	A multi-tablet regimen	Each has its own timing and food requirements
The same ingredient named for prevention	Prophylaxis rather than treatment	Dose, duration and monitoring differ

If your label and an explanation you have read do not seem to describe the same thing, that mismatch is usually a combination product rather than an error. Your clinic or pharmacist can confirm in a moment.

Safety, accuracy and next-step checks

These guides explain what a medicine is used for. They do not diagnose, do not set regimens, and are not a substitute for the clinic or doctor managing your treatment. HIV treatment in particular is individualised and monitored, and decisions about it belong with that team.

The points that matter most:

Take it consistently. Antiretrovirals work best taken every day at roughly the same time. Missed doses allow the virus to replicate and are the main route to drug resistance, which narrows future options.
Do not stop without advice, even if you feel well. Feeling well is the treatment working.
Tell every prescriber what you take. Antiretrovirals interact with a wide range of medicines including some antibiotics, tuberculosis treatment, acid-reducing medicines and statins — and with herbal products, St John’s wort especially.
Do not take someone else’s. Regimens are individual, and the wrong one risks resistance.
Report side effects rather than stopping. Many settle in the first weeks, and where they do not, alternatives exist.
Keep your monitoring appointments. Viral load and other tests confirm the treatment is working, and are how a problem is caught early.
After a possible exposure, time matters. Post-exposure prophylaxis needs to start as soon as possible, ideally within hours and generally within 72 hours. Go to a clinic or emergency department rather than researching first.

Treatment is available free through South African public clinics.

Frequently asked questions

My tablet has one name but the leaflet lists three ingredients. Why? Because it is a fixed-dose combination — several antiretrovirals in one tablet, so one pill a day replaces three.

What happens if I miss a dose? Take it as soon as you remember unless the next is nearly due; do not double up. Occasional misses happen, but a pattern of them risks resistance — tell your clinic so they can help.

Can I stop when my viral load is undetectable? No. Undetectable means the treatment is working. Stopping allows the virus to rebound. Treatment is lifelong unless a clinician directs otherwise.

Are these medicines used by people who do not have HIV? Yes. Some are used for prevention, both ongoing and after a possible exposure. The medicine is the same; the purpose is different.

Do antiretrovirals interact with herbal remedies? Some do, significantly. St John’s wort is the best-known example. Tell your clinic about anything you take, including traditional and over-the-counter remedies.

HIV, Antiviral & Infectious Disease Medicines Used-For Guides