Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 06:59:15 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
  • Total Members: 37614
  • Latest: bondann
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772953
  • Total Topics: 66311
  • Online Today: 741
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 0
Guests: 489
Total: 489

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: Atripla Side Effect(s)  (Read 12509 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline AboutToStart

  • Member
  • Posts: 134
Atripla Side Effect(s)
« on: June 15, 2009, 10:55:20 pm »
Hello Forum,

I believe my time has come and I'm getting ready to start treatment. I read on here folks mentioning the rash as a common side effect of Atripla. Can someone please elaborate on that a little: How bad is the Atripla rash? Is it all over the body (and face) and visible to others? What's the best way to treat it or does it just go away after a few weeks?

Any input will help. Thanks!
 ???
« Last Edit: June 15, 2009, 10:59:19 pm by AboutToStart »

Offline MOONLIGHT1114

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,918
  • Cheech 2.2.94 - 4.23.10 We miss you so much!
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2009, 05:38:10 am »
I have been on Sustiva and Truvada in two separate pills for years now.  This is the same combo of drugs found in the single Atripla pill.

I never got the rash.   :)

~Cindy
HIV+ since '93, 1/12 - CD4 785 and undet.   WOO-HOO!!

Offline positivmat

  • Member
  • Posts: 222
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2009, 06:48:50 am »
Hey
I have been on atripla 3 1/2 mos now. Never got rash.
It brought my v/l down from 800,000 to 2,994 in one month. Cd4 went from 325 to 544. Good luck with it.
Matt

Offline WillyWump

  • Member
  • Posts: 7,367
  • EPIC FIERCENESS!
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2009, 10:39:55 am »
Hi,

Ive been on Atripla for 30 days, never got the rash.

From what I understand it can cover your entire body but typically goes away after 7 days, usually sooner.

Dont go into this expecting the rash, it's just going to create more anxiety for you.

-Will
POZ since '08

Last Labs-
11-6-14 CD4- 871, UD
6/3/14 CD4- 736, UD 34%
6/25/13 CD4- 1036, UD,
2/4/13, CD4 - 489, UD, 28%

Current Meds: Prezista/Epzicom/ Norvir
.

Offline z_colt_w

  • New Member
  • Posts: 1
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2009, 05:00:40 pm »
I would try not to stress about it too much.  I am sure there are people that have to deal with the side affects.  And, I hope you don't.  But, I have been on Atripla for about 3 years.  And, as many other people have said, I haven't experienced any.  I have even made it through grad school while taking meds, with a nearly perfect GPA and working at the same time.  So, it's entirely possible to manage your life. 8)

Offline missy

  • Member
  • Posts: 86
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2009, 09:07:11 pm »
I never got the rash either and I have been on Atripla for years.  Don't stress over it as everyone is different.  Mary~

Offline shypoz

  • Member
  • Posts: 29
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2009, 09:51:13 pm »
I never experienced a rash either. I felt mostly tired, and it only lasted a couple of weeks - during which time I was able to keep up with my responsibilities (work, pets), but didn't really have energy left to do anything else.
+++++++++

Matt's Timeline

08/28/08: HIV+
09/08/08: CD4 542 / VL 16,060
12/08/08: CD4 522 / VL 25,000
04/13/09: CD4 385 / VL 33,000 ~ Atripla prescription
04/16/09: Atripla started
07/20/09:

+++++++++

Offline GuyInLA

  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2009, 10:07:57 pm »
I never got the rash, but I think statistics are that about 25% of people do experience some kind of rash...either minor or more severe.
Infected - Early Dec 08
The "Flu" - 6 Jan 09
Diagnosed - 12 Mar 09
12 Mar 09 - VL 406,000   CD4 515 (no %)
31 Mar 09 - VL 322,520   CD4 605 (14.5%)
08 May 09 - Started Atripla
09 Jun 09  - VL 160  CD4 594 (27%)
10 Aug 09 - Switched to Prezista/Norvir/Truvada (Atripla drove me crazy)
1 Sept 09 - Undetectable
23 Dec 09 - Undetectable CD4 830 (36.1%)
17 Mar 10 - Undetectable CD4 1000+

Offline PozBrian

  • Member
  • Posts: 202
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2009, 10:08:41 pm »
I started atripla a week ago. The first night I took it about 8 pm and fell asleep on the sofa. Then woke up about 1230 feeling really drugged. I didn't like that at all. By the morning I felt like I had a  hangover, not nauseous, just fuzzy and tired. Took it at 10pm just before going to bed the second night, slept all night and woke still feeling fuzzy and out of it, but not as bad as the day before. By Monday the was no fuzziness at all. Today I feel great. I've had no other side affects except dreams which are not a big deal at all either in intensity or subjects.

I was nervous about starting atripla too but it nothing has come of it. I even went to work and the fuzziness didn't hamper me at all.

Good luck
Brian
Currently Trivicay & Truvada
1/15 549 37%UD
9/14 778 35% UD
5/14 537 36% UD
6/13 632 36% UD 
6/12 559 39% UD
11/09 CD4: 379, 25% VL: UNDETECTABLE!!
10/09 CD4: 245, 25% VL: 87
9/09 CD4: 246, 24% VL: 49!
8/09 CD4: 277, 26% VL: 115
7/09 CD4: 346, 24% VL: 221
6/09 started meds.
4/09 HIV +, CD4: 397, 16%  VL:195000, PPD reactive

Offline popqueer

  • Member
  • Posts: 12
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2009, 12:53:39 am »
I got the rash 10 days after starting Atripla. Before then, the only side effect I had was a drunk feeling which I actually liked because it helped me sleep.
The rash started on my feet and crawled its way up to my neck over night. I got the rash on a Saturday and by the time my doctor saw me on Monday he took one look at me and said "I'm taking you off Atripla." It sucked because I liked the one pill a day and didn't care about the dunk side effect. I also missed out on a hike that Saturday.
If you start getting the rash, take some Benadryl as soon as you see bumps forming. If you take it early enough, it may stop it from spreading and go away in about a week or two. If not, your doctor may put you on steroids to control it. But if it's as severe as mine, they may take you off it.
It took about 7 to 10 days before the rash was completely gone. After, I was put on another regimen and developed a smaller rash 10 days after starting that one too, but that one went away with Benadryl and I'm still on that regimen.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2009, 01:00:35 am by popqueer »

Offline AboutToStart

  • Member
  • Posts: 134
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #10 on: June 18, 2009, 10:42:48 am »
I got the rash 10 days after starting Atripla. Before then, the only side effect I had was a drunk feeling which I actually liked because it helped me sleep.
The rash started on my feet and crawled its way up to my neck over night. I got the rash on a Saturday and by the time my doctor saw me on Monday he took one look at me and said "I'm taking you off Atripla." It sucked because I liked the one pill a day and didn't care about the dunk side effect. I also missed out on a hike that Saturday.
If you start getting the rash, take some Benadryl as soon as you see bumps forming. If you take it early enough, it may stop it from spreading and go away in about a week or two. If not, your doctor may put you on steroids to control it. But if it's as severe as mine, they may take you off it.
It took about 7 to 10 days before the rash was completely gone. After, I was put on another regimen and developed a smaller rash 10 days after starting that one too, but that one went away with Benadryl and I'm still on that regimen.

Thank you all for responding and sharing your information. I'm not "Stressed" about the rash (or any other Atripla side effect), perhaps "Concerned" is a better word to describe it. So I just wanted to get better informed and knowledge, and hear from someone who actually had it. Thanks again.

Truth is, I'm starting to educate myself about Atripla only recently. I'm about to start meds as my CD4+ started to decrease after being stable around 500 for a couple of years. I thought initially of starting with Isentress/Truvada as I was reading so many good things about it, though not officially (yet) approved for first time beginners. But then I met with my Doc and another Pharmaceptical Specialist who both voted AGAINST it, stating there is just not enough info about it so taking it is the equivalent of gambling (with your health/life) while there are PROVEN meds that work like Atripla and boosted PIs.. I started looking then into a boosted Prezista/Truvada, but then realized nothing beats the convenience of 1 pill a day over 3 or 4 (especially if you need to get on the road and start packing meds 4 fold more). So I made a switch (and hopefully final decision) to Atripla (also - just one co-pay a month, but that WAS NOT the main reason), and now I'm trying to learn about it.
I understand that some people, more than others, can be alergic to certain component of the pill, and a severe rash can be such an outcome. I'm sorry PopQueer you had to experience it, but thanks alot for sharing it.


Offline OhioBen

  • New Member
  • Posts: 1
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #11 on: June 18, 2009, 11:04:33 pm »
I have been poz for over 19 years and never had any issues with my meds over the years, and I've been on almost everything that's come down the pipeline.  I've taken part in drug trials, done drug holidays, etc.  After all these years of compliance and healthy CD4 counts and undetectable viral loads, the one thing that caught up to me was that my bone density has diminished to the point where I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis last October at 44-years old.  My doc just switched me from Ritanovir/Truvada/Reyataz to Atripla and I think I am going to lose my mind.  I don't understand how so many people have been able to tolerate this drug.  I just started it this week and I feel like a walking zombie.  I can't function at work, I feel like a drunk when I try to walk, my brain is in a fog and I feel miserable emotionally.  My dreams are frightening/ridiculous for the few hours I can sleep, until I wake up around 4am completely wired like I am on speed. I honestly do not think I can handle the 6-8 week "break-in" period my doctor is suggesting.  If anyone can tell me what they did to help tolerate this drug I would be very appreciative.

Offline positivmat

  • Member
  • Posts: 222
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2009, 07:11:53 am »
For the sleep problems, someone suggested to me on here that I take melatonin. I took it for five weeks and it really helped me get to sleep. If I woke prematurely with it, I was really groggy and would fall right back to sleep. Whereas without it, I would wake up wide awake and go directly into a panic attack (the anxiety was more from my new diagnosis I think).  Now I use melatonin when I think I will have an issue. You should know that they say to stop taking it after 60 days so your body will relearn how to naturally produce it

Sleep issues were a major problem for me before and I think that atripla exacerbated them esp during the break-in period.
Good luck,
Matt

Offline risred1

  • Member
  • Posts: 419
  • My Source for Supps - www.newyorkbuyersclub.org
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2009, 12:29:16 pm »
From a "what my doctor told me" perspective...

Only 2% of Atripla users ultimately cannot tolerate it.

But I take that with a grain of salt... 2% who cannot absolutely tolerate it, is one thing...

The percentage of folks who have "issues" with Atripla, may be higher.

As you can see, many take with few issues, but those who have issues, they can be rather impacting.

I went the PI route with Reyataz/Truvada/Norvir, after going through the same process of evaluation. Just with any combo, transition period can be mild to rough, but hopefully after adjustment, comfortable enough.
risred1 - hiv +
02/07 CD4 404 - 27% - VL 15k
10/07 CD4 484 - 31% - VL 45k
05/08 CD4 414 - 26% - VL 70k
01/09 CD4 365 - 23% - VL 65k
05/09 CD4 291 - 23% - VL 115k - Started Meds - Reyataz/Truvada
06/09 CD4 394 - ?% - VL 1200 - Boosted Reyataz with Norvir and Truvada
07/09 CD4 441 - ?% - VL 118 - Boosted Reyataz with Norvir and Truvada
09/09 CD4 375 - ?% - VL Undetectable - Boosted Reyataz with Norvir and Truvada
12/09 CD4 595 - ?% - VL Undetectable - VIT D 34 - Reyataz/Truvada/Norvir

Offline AboutToStart

  • Member
  • Posts: 134
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #14 on: June 19, 2009, 03:49:33 pm »
Well I'm already taking Ambien CR to help me sleep better at nights even before starting with the Atripla, so hopefully no new sleeping problems will arrise after I do start...

In case of nausia or dizzines there are medications that help control it, as well as with diaria if gets too bad.. Benadryl for a rash, so I think I'm all covred (just in case..)

From now on all I can do is just start taking the "A" pill and hope for the better..
Thanks for all the inputs you guyz..

Offline GNYC09

  • Member
  • Posts: 702
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2009, 06:07:33 pm »
I've been on Atripla 5 weeks now and had a small rash during week three around my collarbone.  It looked like a mild sunburn and lasted only two days, not a big deal.  I'm not sure if it really was an Atripla rash since it wasn't made up of small red spots (I remember reading somewhere that the red spots=Atripla rash.  I may be wrong.). 

Offline antibody

  • Member
  • Posts: 525
  • "every man thinks his burden is the heaviest"
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #16 on: June 20, 2009, 01:56:45 am »
I took benedryl with the sustiva right from the start and had no rash but i did notice pigment changes in a few blotchy areas which went away after discontinuing sustiva. all my sleep problems cleared up too.
Timbuk      <50/ 794  CD4 10/06 
                 <50/ 1096 CD4 3/07
                 <40/ 1854 CD4 4/09

Started Atripla  7/14/06
Switched to boosted Reyataz Truvada 3/28/07

*Ask me about Medical Marijuana and how it can help you!*

Offline 32guyMtl

  • Member
  • Posts: 8
Re: Atripla Side Effect(s)
« Reply #17 on: July 03, 2009, 01:22:27 pm »
I hope this helps someone.. as I'm pretty much blind in going through this (none of my friends are being treated) and I value the other help I've seen here as well.

After my 11th day on Atripla, I had the 'sunburn' rash on Monday.. felt like crap and took the day off work.  Took generic benadryl as the package described and by Thursday is was 99% gone..  the itch stopped immediately. My energy was back on Tuesday better than ever.

The rash really does look like a sunburn..  just was odd for me because the backside of my arms never tan/burn :)

jase
masc fit guy with the best cat in the world

Oct 2009: CD4: 700  VL: 90
Aug 2009:  CD4: 600   VL: 215
June 25 2009: incredible energy returns
June 18 2009: begin Atripla
June 16 2009:  CD4: 350 / VL 500 000

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.