Another type of drug, called protease inhibitors, keeps infectious parts of the virus from spreading. A combination of drugs has proven to be most effective. Some of the medications have to be taken with food, while others require an empty stomach. The patient has to structure his or her activities around the times for medication. Potential side effects of medications for HIV include cosmetic changes, such as shrinkage of the facial skin, and deposits of subcutaneous tissue that create a pouch on the stomach or a hump on the neck.
Some patients also develop diabetes or high levels of tryglycerides, a type of fat.
If the patient develops ulcers in the throat and mouth, they can become so sick that they can't even drink the water needed to wash down their pills. Shearer is concerned that adolescents who didn't witness the thousands of slow, painful deaths during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s don't realize how destructive HIV is. During the past several years, the incidence of HIV has increased from 11 to 17 percent in adolescent and young adult women, especially minorities. The virus is spread mainly through unprotected sexual intercourse and intravenous drug use. But there is a second wave of pediatric AIDS coming.