Treatment will slow down the spread of HIV in your body and will allow your immune system to work better. This will make you more resistant to infections and hence enable you to live a longer and healthier life. You will feel more energetic, be less depressed or forgetful, and digest food better. You will also be less likely to infect other people. Your doctor will prescribe a combination of antiretroviral medicines that is appropriate and safe for you. You will be followed up carefully to check that the virus is suppressed and that there are no harmful effects. However, the treatment can have unpleasant side-effects. The most common are nausea, tiredness, diarrhoea, skin rashes, mood changes, and weight loss or gain.