Eventually, these mutated viruses, which are resistant to drug therapy, may become the most plentiful form of the virus. Protease inhibitors Protease inhibitors prevent HIV from reproducing by interfering with the action of protease, another substance that HIV uses to reproduce. This causes more CD4 cells to be destroyed. When treatment is no longer working, a person's viral load rises and the CD4 cell count decreases. To try to get control of the virus, a new combination of medications must be used.
Resistance occurs because the virus makes mistakes when it reproduces.
Also, HIV medications do not cause resistant forms of the virus to develop. Instead, when the drugs stop the reproduction of sensitive viral strains, they allow the mutated strains that are already present to grow. Preventing HIV resistance Tipping the balance in your favor You play an important role in preventing HIV resistance. Now that you know what resistance is, the next step is knowing what you can do to help prevent it. Early diagnosis and treatment.