Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Anabolic Steroid and HIV treatment

An important aspect of providing care for HIV-infected patients is obtaining a baseline history that includes the most detailed information possible regarding patients’ health, ongoing health risks and previous HIV treatment. Because of the complexity of a comprehensive history, as well as the complexity of ongoing HIV care, effective communication between the patient and provider is essential. Patients should receive information that is well organized and easy to understand. All members of the healthcare team should use vocabulary that optimizes patient education and patient-provider communication.

Patients should be informed about the importance of the baseline history for establishing a framework for their ongoing HIV care. This may also include asking a patient to repeat back information in his/her own words to identify areas requiring increased health literacy.  When language or hearing barriers exist, clinicians should use an interpreter. For patients who have received HIV care from previous providers, past medical records should be obtained whenever possible. A member of the healthcare team may encourage patients to bring their past medical records; however, clinicians should be aware that patients may not wish to disclose to their previous providers that they are changing providers, and fees may be associated with such requests.

Anabolic steroids are a collection of drugs that feature testosterone to treat conditions such as impotence, delayed puberty or low muscle tone due to illness and HIV. When taken by healthy individuals, the substance can have serious side effects and lead to dependency. For users of steroids, a steroids addiction treatment program can increase the chances of successfully stopping the usage.

Unlike many other drugs used non-medically, steroids do not provide a physical high for the user. There is no euphoric response after taking steroids, or any other immediate reaction to the drugs. The exact reasons behind steroids use vary with each individual, but there are a few common reasons given by users for starting the drugs. Many users entering into a steroids addiction treatment facility report utilizing steroids as a physical performance enhancer. When taken for this reason the steroids improve muscle tone and makes building up additional muscle mass throughout the body easier and quicker than if it were done without the use of steroids. Because of the increase in the ease in muscle development when using steroids other users have claimed their use as a way of enhancing their physical appearance. Regardless of the reasons behind steroid use, long-term usage of the drugs can result in serious physical issues. To avoid these issues, finding steroids addiction treatment as soon as possible is an important step towards returning health.

Most people who are infected with HIV experience a short, flu-like illness that occurs two to six weeks after infection. After this, HIV often causes no symptoms for several years. The flu-like illness that often occurs a few weeks after HIV infection is also known as seroconversion illness. It's estimated that up to 80% of people who are infected with HIV experience this illness.

The most common symptoms are:
    fever (raised temperature)
    sore throat
    body rash

Other symptoms can include:
    tiredness
    joint pain
    muscle pain
    swollen glands (nodes)

The symptoms, which can last up to four weeks, are a sign that your immune system is putting up a fight against the virus.  These symptoms can all be caused by conditions other than HIV, and do not mean you have the virus. However, if you have several of these symptoms, and you think you have been at risk of HIV infection, you should get an HIV test.
After the initial symptoms disappear, HIV will often not cause any further symptoms for many years. During this time, known as asymptomatic HIV infection, the virus continues to spread and damage your immune system. This process can take about 10 years, during which you will feel and appear well. It is important to remember that not everyone with HIV experiences early symptoms, so you should still take an HIV test if you have put yourself as risk, even if you experience no symptoms.

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