Starting treatment for the first time? Everyone worries about the risk of side effects before they start treatment. Before choosing your combination, ask for information about each of the drugs you might take. Ask about the likelihood of side effects. Ask what percentage of people had side effects related to each drug and how serious they were. You may be asked to join a study looking at side effects. These studies are important to define the extent of side effects when different drugs are used together. People in studies are monitored more carefully and more frequently, so you may get better care. Research is essential if we want new and better drugs in the future. Can I change drugs easily? You should be offered at least two options whenever you start or change treatment. Ask about the advantages and disadvantages for each one. Some people are not told that they have a choice. This is not right. Even if your doctor prefers one combination, you need to be involved in this choice. If you have problems with the first combination, you can easily modify the drugs. There are more than 26 HIV meds in the UK, including several that include more than one drug in each pill. While you can't quite mix and match them, if one or more of the drugs in your combination is difficult to tolerate, you can change it for another. If you change a drug because of tolerability, you can usually use it again later