Author Topic: Brain Fog (Read 7086 times)

ACinKC · « **on:** August 21, 2006, 11:39:08 am »

I am currently on Truvada and Sustiva and have been for 1.5 years. I am now taking them in the morning because I was having the electric dreams and it was preventing me from REALLY sleeping.

Lately it feels like a cloud comes over my entire head about an hour after I take the meds. Anyone else have this? I am not as sharp as I used to be, takes me longer to think of simple answers, SERIOUS lack of concentration (and i have ADD so it is in desperately short supply to begin with) and a general haziness of thought. Some times get a little dizzy and sometimes a little like im drunk without the fun! Any tips or tricks out there guys?

Dachshund · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2006, 12:04:00 pm »

I had the exact same reaction to Sustiva. After two years being a Zombie, I discussed it with my doctor and made the switch to Kaletra. The weird dreams stopped in about 48hrs. Talk to your doctor, I think you will be surprised by the response.

Good Luck,
Hal

jack · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2006, 12:38:59 pm »

I thought something was wrong with you. Just kidding. Had same reaction to that poison.

Bartro · « **Reply #3 on:** August 21, 2006, 12:58:39 pm »

I can't imagine trying to take my meds in the morning. I'm on the same combo but taken at bedtime. After about an hour I'm also in a fog. I have the weird and sometime wonderful dreams but wake up well rested.

ONYXATL · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2006, 01:14:02 pm »

I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT SUSTIVA...I HAD TO LET IT GO..IT WAS TOO MUCH OF THE STRANGE WILD DREAMS...GOOD FOR YOUR BEING INFORMED...TOO MANY DR'S JUST WRITE A RX...BUT FAIL TO REALIZE THAT WE (PWA'S) STILL DO HAVE PRODUCTIVE LIVES TO LEAD WHILE TAKING RX'S...PLEASE KEEP US POSTED ON YOUR RX PROGRESS....AND GET SOME SLEEP...HOT SHOWER, GOOD MUSIC AND A DARK ROOM WILL GO A LONG WAY TO ACHIEVING THAT GOAL...ONYXATL

Life · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2006, 02:19:11 pm »

AC - I try and have fun with it..... I don't think I could function either if I were to do my meds in the AM... I am a K boy and Epzicom or Truvada and it allows me a good sleep. But sometimes in the morning I cant connect my fingers to my brain and being an accounting guy can really inflate the bottom line sometimes.... Oh well... Fuckem...

ACinKC · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2006, 03:18:05 pm »

This is quite the conundrum. Since the switch (nights to morning) I have slept AMAZINGLY well. But now Ive got that zombieness going. The numbers are just SOOOOO good, I hate to make another switch.

Thankfully, working for the parents allows me the time and flexibility to work through all of this or I would be in some SERIOUS trouble.

Andrew

PS
Jack, if lets say my brain all of a sudden turned me into a RAGING republican, then YES something would be SERIOUSLY wrong. And at that point I would definitely consider a switch of medications, I'm thinking most likely a cyanide laced therapy. That should produce the result I would need!

Dachshund · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2006, 03:40:39 pm »

Quote from: ACinKC on August 21, 2006, 03:18:05 pm

This is quite the conundrum. Since the switch (nights to morning) I have slept AMAZINGLY well. But now Ive got that zombieness going. The numbers are just SOOOOO good, I hate to make another switch.

Thankfully, working for the parents allows me the time and flexibility to work through all of this or I would be in some SERIOUS trouble.

Andrew

PS
Jack, if lets say my brain all of a sudden turned me into a RAGING republican, then YES something would be SERIOUSLY wrong. And at that point I would definitely consider a switch of medications, I'm thinking most likely a cyanide laced therapy. That should produce the result I would need!

It seems like you already made up your mind. Bottom line...meds=side effects.

ACinKC · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2006, 03:48:03 pm »

Yup.

Hey Virus....

[attachment deleted by admin]

Oceanbeach · « **Reply #9 on:** August 21, 2006, 07:08:49 pm »

I have never been on Truvada but have been taking Sustiva for about 8 years. Kind of got used to the dreams and now I can wake myself up and go, "a Sustiva dream" and go back to sleep. I tried Sustiva and Viread in the day time for a short time. My Doc said to take those at bed time and he is the one person I will take orders from. Have the best day
Michael

www.Commission-on-AIDS.org

newt · « **Reply #10 on:** August 21, 2006, 07:43:03 pm »

1. Switch to something else...okay, other ideas...

2. Put up with it for a while, it goes completely (I am told by a friend) after a few years .

3. Split the dose, eg 400mg am/200mg pm or the other way round. This sometimes works. Can be hard to get the pharmacy to fill the script though (special order). I have one friend who did this and it sorted the problem (more or less).

4. Tune in, turn on, drop out.

It's a shame that, as this is such an effective drug, and only about 1/3rd of people using it get this kinda long-term haziness, that the maufacturer don't sort it out. I'd rather take 16 pills that don;t screw my head, rather than 1 that does.

- matt

(deffo a PI boy me, for now, I value my lucidity)

wellington · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2006, 01:12:07 pm »

I'm on Sustiva too, but I try to take my pill and get to sleep quickly, or at least with an initial vector into the dream world. Going to sleep with worries on the brain is usually a recipe for unrest - from my experience. From time to time, I do get an unpleasant or interrupted sleep episode, but I write a little in my daily log and go back to sleep. I find it takes about an hour for the meds to start to kick in at night. While I can counter the deleterious effects with a bit of extra concentration, I'm happy to just sleep through it all.

What is it that causes your electric dreams to interrupt your sleep? Have you tried to reconcile the activies of your day with the events in your dreams? When you say "REALLY" sleeping, do expect to wake up feeling like nothing has occurred during the bed-time hours? If you don't want to switch meds, trying to understand more fully the affect Sustiva may be having on you seems a reasonable approach.

randym431 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 23, 2006, 02:48:24 am »

Been on sustiva for about a year now. About 1 - 2 hours of fog after taking in the morning. Usually I go right to bed but not always possible since I work nites and things are topsey turvey. I don’t trust myself with difficult decisions if I just took sustiva, especially driving. Have done some dumb things, like stopping at a 4-way stop and then going right on thru, not even realizing another car was to the right or left waiting. Could have both cars started up at the same time, I would have wondered “where did they come from?” Or in money matters or balancing the check book, I've made very dumb errors if doing these things within 2 hours of sustiva. So I “do” have to keep that in mind.

Some times its not bad, other times a lot worse (the sides). I have a chatty kathy friend that likes to call me very early in the AM. If I have just taken my sustiva, listening to him go on can drive me nutz and crazy. I just cant talk (or listen) to him during that time or I feel like Jell-O brain.
But sustiva does this, I guess, because it is so good at getting thru the layers it needs to get thru to do its job on the virus. So I guess its a trade off, either be alert and wise but ill, or undetectable and a dizzy dingy blond-like person. (sorry bout that)

It WOULD be nice to have powerful meds that have no sides to mention. Maybe some day???
PS. I like the term electric dreams. That describes it exactly what I feel. And btw, the dreams have never went away after almost a year as of yet.

wellington · « **Reply #13 on:** August 23, 2006, 03:34:50 am »

Maybe I was destined to be up tonight for chiming in earlier today on this thread. I took my Sustiva about 2 hours ago and while I can tell I'm medicated, the effect is only slightly noticable. The dreams are always good, but then again, I have an active imagination at the best of times.

As an aside, Electric Dreams is a movie that I remember seeing quite a few years ago. A campy 1980's style love triangle involving a guy, a gal and a computer - http://imdb.com/title/tt0087197. The most memorable thing about it was that Boy George contributed to the soundtrack - Love is Love. Still can't get that song out of my head after all these years.

"You don't have to touch it to know, love is everywhere that you go ..."

Further aside, Philip K. Dick wrote Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which was the basis of one of my all-time favourite sci-fi films, Blade Runner. Yup, starring post-Star Wars Harrison Ford. Never really considered him a *hunk* like many people seem to. Sorry Harrison.

Ok. Maybe even though I'm not dreaming presently, Sustiva is still kicking it up a bit for me.

ACinKC · « **Reply #14 on:** August 23, 2006, 09:30:42 am »

Hey guys. The dreams were almost always extremely pleasant. I was just never RESTED in the morning. I was totally wiped out. Since I made the switch to taking them in the morning I don't feel tired at all.

I too notice I do ALOT of stupid things in the first 4 hours of dropping the Sustiva bomb in my system. Lucidity flies OUT the window. I have no desire and little ability to communicate properly. Which is hard for me cause I am in SALES. Thank god I work for mom and dad which gives me some extra time to sort things out.

Andrew<--- who is considering all his options at this point.

newone · « **Reply #15 on:** August 29, 2006, 01:30:32 pm »

I have your exact symptoms and carry on suffering (sort of) just because Sustiva has helped my immune system to recover and I am scared to even attempt to switch to a new combination....I too take it in the morning.

ACinKC · « **Reply #16 on:** August 29, 2006, 04:20:11 pm »

It SUCKS!!

blondbeauty · « **Reply #17 on:** August 29, 2006, 08:07:23 pm »

My brain is always in a fog since I was born...

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Author Topic: Brain Fog (Read 7086 times)