What does adherence mean? Adherence means to stick or comply
with a prescribed medication the way it was prescribed by your
doctor. This includes strictly following the timing of doses.
Example: If your doctor prescribes a medication every 12 hours,
you need to follow a schedule every 12 hours like taking
medications at 7am and 7pm. Why is adherence to my HIV
medications important?Adherence to HIV medications is important
because depending on your level of adherence your medication's
efficacy will last longer. If you take your medications
erratically, the virus that you are carrying will develop
resistance or, in other terms, will lose the ability to control
the virus and you will loose viable options of care. What level
of adherence is best? Persons living with HIV/AIDS who are
prescribed medications are expected to be adherent over 95% of
their prescribed doses. The lower your adherence level, the
higher your risk is of developing resistance to the medications
you are taking. What are barriers to adherence?