Meds dilemma

[Fitfj]

I tested poz earlier this year and took treatment improved by CD4 count and close to being undetectable.

But I don’t enjoy risk free sex. I’m realising how turned on I used to be by the thought of being converted. Has anyone else had this? What’s your experience of stopping meds? 

[wood]

It’s your life and you are free to choose as you wish.  However there is a big difference between fantasy and reality.  The reality is that consistent use of meds will allow you to live a long life with lots of sex. Inconsistent use, or stopping them WILL lead to resistance, and long term health effects.  

[rawTOP]

You pretty much have to go on meds when your CD4 count drops below 500, definitely when it gets to 350. AIDS is no fun and it kills. But until that point you can and should do what feels right to you. It's your body, no one can dictate what's right for you.

[I'm gonna move this into the health section. This isn't poz fetish as much as a health-related question. Send me a DM if you don't want it in a public section of the site.]

[Fitfj]

No that’s fine - I’m interested in what people have to say. I think it’s a fetish because it’s in my head. But the fact is it hasn’t stopped me taking that pill every morning.

[poztwink]

I didn't go on meds for a few years after converting, but when it started to risk my health I started, To me, sexual thrill wasn't worth dying for. 

[Guest ff-whole]

I agree with @Poztwink: The sexual thrill of barebacking and raw sex and taking loads isn't worth dying for so I started on Prep...
My lust however is greater than the smart thinking and not taking care of protection, and for me that is a serious problem now that getting Prep is so difficult.
I am a Nomad - a homeless person without an address and that means I can't get regular Prep sold in pharmacies with a doctors receipt. International acquired Prep through Internet can't be received in most countries.
Sofar I am still lucky and negative and would love to get back on Prep and live my life that way I want.
If I get Poz, this will confront me with a serious problem as a homeless and traveling person.

Edited October 27, 2019 by ff-whole

[tallslenderguy]

i don't have a poz fetish, the risk of disease and dying from AID's doesn't excite me.  Fewer people are getting AID's because of the efficacy of HAART.  As a result, we are discovering that HIV can effect other disease processes (e.g., heart disease, vascular disease, liver disease, kidney disease).  The focus has been on AID's and the devastation of the immune system.

i wish i could find newer research, but there's some good info in this article that identifies other health issues of HIV other than AID's. 

 

[tallslenderguy]

2 hours ago, ff-whole said:

I agree with @Poztwink: The sexual thrill of barebacking and raw sex and taking loads isn't worth dying for so I started on Prep...
My lust however is greater than the smart thinking and not taking care of protection, and for me that is a serious problem now that getting Prep is so difficult.
I am a Nomad - a homeless person without an address and that means I can't get regular Prep sold in pharmacies with a doctors receipt. International acquired Prep through Internet can't be received in most countries.
Sofar I am still lucky and negative and would love to get back on Prep and live my life that way I want.
If I get Poz, this will confront me with a serious problem as a homeless and traveling person.

i think this is a rarely discussed point. If one wants HAART, having HIV makes one dependent on the/a healthcare system.  i get patients in hospital who show up and have no med list and haven't been to a doctor in years, often decades.  That's not going to be the case for someone with HIV getting treatment so it will not progress to AID's.  HIV infected people getting treatment have to go for regular blood work and have to be around a pharmacy that provides the meds, with a mechanism in place to pay for it all.  If you are dependent on government programs, you take what they provide, even if better options may be available, they're generally going for cheaper.  You may have to work a job for the insurance to pay for meds.

One cannot be foot lose and fancy free with HIV.

[wood]

7 hours ago, poztwink said:

I didn't go on meds for a few years after converting, but when it started to risk my health I started, To me, sexual thrill wasn't worth dying for. 

QFT. What’s so insidious about HIV is that a person infected can think they are reasonably healthy for a long time without treatment. The immune system isn’t perfect, and it attacks things occasionally that are benign, think things like allergies. However in the absence of a well functioning immune system, often things like allergies and asthma actually can get marginally better. This gives people a false sense of health until basic and common infections kill people. Toxoplasmosis for example is almost everywhere and everyone with some immune system can fight it. When HIV decimates it, it can kill you. 
 

There is a huge difference Between fantasy and reality. In my opinion most things that are posted in HIV status for them should be considered almost all fantasy. Yeah there are people that are doing okay not taking meds for 10+ years, but there are also 90 year old smokers... that doesn’t make it the norm. 

[Pozlover1]

7 hours ago, tallslenderguy said:

i think this is a rarely discussed point. If one wants HAART, having HIV makes one dependent on the/a healthcare system.  i get patients in hospital who show up and have no med list and haven't been to a doctor in years, often decades.  That's not going to be the case for someone with HIV getting treatment so it will not progress to AID's.  HIV infected people getting treatment have to go for regular blood work and have to be around a pharmacy that provides the meds, with a mechanism in place to pay for it all.  If you are dependent on government programs, you take what they provide, even if better options may be available, they're generally going for cheaper.  You may have to work a job for the insurance to pay for meds.

One cannot be foot lose and fancy free with HIV.

I believe there are some cities with better treatment than others. Ryan White has several levels, and a city with Title III will have dental, for instance, usually at a dental school. 
Some States are geared towards getting you into a job with insurance, and the assistance is very good  but temporary. They see keeping you healthy and employed as cheaper for them. The current unemployment stats means a golden opportunity to improve any skills you might have. Most places hire through temp agencies now. Some temp agencies have insurance but refusing it may not automatically stop State benefits. The County health dept can advise you on these things.

Arbeit Mach Frei  (LOL)