At this time HIV/AIDS is not curable, but there are many drugs that are being used to help control the illness. They are most often used in combination with other medications and there are different classes of drugs that work differently to block HIV. Studies have shown that the most effective combinations include three medications from at least two of the classes so that there is no risk of developing new strains of the virus that will become immune to individual drugs.

Even still, new research is being developed to help create more kinds of HIV and AIDS drugs.

At this time there are over 25 antiretroviral medications that are used for the treatment of HIV. They work in the following ways:

Improve the overall quality of your life
Lower the load of the virus in your body
Fight against infections
Even though you might be effectively treated with the use of these HIV drugs, it is still possible to give the virus to other people. These drugs are not an HIV cure.

Specialists in the treatment of HIV have put together some guidelines to ensure that HIV medications are used properly. Currently, goals are meant to:

Control HIV growth

Improve the status and function of the whole immune system

Help to suppress common symptoms of HIV

Cause very few side effects when possible

There are five anti-HIV drug classes, which include:

Integrase inhibitors: Also called Raltegravir or Isentress. These work by disabling the protein called integrase, which HIV uses to put its genes into cells called CD4 cells.
Entry or fusion inhibitors: These medications work to block the entry of HIV into the CD4 cells. These medications include Fuzeon or enfuvirtide and Selzentry or maraviroc.
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors or NRTIs: These medications serve as "faulty" building blocks that are needed for HIV to copy itself. This class of medications includes Ziagen or Abacavir, as well as the combination medications Truvada or tenofovir and emtricitabine as well as Combivir or zidovudine and lamivudine.
Protease inhibitors or PIs: This class of medications work to disable another protein called protease, which HIV also uses to copy itself. These medications include Reyataz or atazanavir; Prezista or darunavir; Norvir or ritonavir and Lexiva or fosamprenavir.
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, also called NNRTIs: This class of medications work to disable the protein that HIV uses to copy itself. Some of these medications include Sustiva or efavirenz; Intelence or etravirine and Viramune or nevirapine.