SvenskaEveryone living with HIV in Sweden has the right to receive free care and treatment for their HIV. This means that HIV medication and your HIV care visits are free of charge.
On this page you will find information about:
Rules of conduct
Your HIV doctor will provide you with rules of conduct. The rules are based on guidelines in infection prevention sheets produced by the Swedish Association of Communicable Disease Doctors and determined by the Communicable Diseases Act. You may receive different instructions depending on whether or not your treatment is well-adjusted. Your doctor should explain what policy applies to you and make sure you have understood it.
According to the infection prevention sheet, well-adjusted HIV treatment means that:
- the level of virus in your blood is always undetectable
- you are careful to take the medicine regularly as prescribed
- you go to your doctor regularly to check the level of virus and for treatment, usually 2–4 times a year or according to your doctor’s assessment.
Read the communicable disease sheet from the Swedish Association of Communicable Disease Doctors (Smittskyddsläkarföreningen) fort patients with detectable viral load (not updated since 2016)
(The sheets will open in Swedish. To choose a different language, click the yellow button where it says “Svenska” at the upper right corner of the window).
If you think your rules of conduct are wrong, then you have the opportunity to have them reviewed (checked and assessed). If you request a review, then the county medical officer of communicable diseases in your region will review the treating doctor’s rules of conduct and amend them, so that they fulfil their purpose in the best way possible. If you are not satisfied with the county medical officer’s decision, then you can appeal to the court.
If your treatment is well-adjusted, then your treating doctor may remove your legal obligation to disclose your HIV-positive status and the requirement to use a condom during sexual intercourse. Make sure your treating HIV doctor writes in your medical records that you have had your obligation to use a condom and to disclose your HIV-positive status removed.
If you live with HIV, under the current regulations of the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, you are not allowed to donate blood, organs, semen or eggs. If you have further questions about this, then please contact Posithiva Gruppen. If you are wondering about assisted reproduction or IVF, see the section “For people who are or want to become parents”.
Medications
HIV medication is free of charge to everyone living with HIV in Sweden. This is regardless of your legal status. There are different HIV medications available and the doctor will make an overall assessment of the side effects, what is suitable for your situation and your body and the cost of the medication. If you experience side effects from a HIV medication, you can talk to your doctor about other alternatives. You can also discuss with your HIV doctor whether a particular HIV medication is suitable for you based on the time of day it is taken, whether it is taken with food or not, or whether you are taking any other medicines with which the HIV medication may interact.
Drug interactions
Your HIV medication may interact with other medicines. For example, some HIV medications can prevent emergency contraceptive pills (known as morning-after pills) from working effectively. If you are prescribed a medication, you can ask your doctor about possible interactions with your HIV medications. You can also ask a pharmacist about the medication or read the package insert for the medication. If you don’t have access to the package insert, you can look it up at FASS (in Swedish).
- Within HIV care
- Support and counselling
- For healthcare visits and treatments outside of HIV care
- For people who are or want to become parents
- For children and adolescents
- During studies and at work
- For people with sickness compensation (formerly known as early retirement)
- For people who do not have a residence permit in Sweden
- When travelling abroad
- When having sex
- When taking out insurance
- HIV related to laws and crimes
