POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: luckyone on December 08, 2009, 03:19:18 pm
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I'm going to be starting meds on Monday,Ive been doing a lot of reading on the topic,ive think Ive learned a lot of little tricks that some others have figured out such as maybe increasing the 2 hr buffer time to 3 if needed,no fatty foods before taking meds,i think ill do fine with this but am prepared to push through any bad side effects if i need to,I'm laid off from work right now so this is also a good opportunity to start the meds in case i do have some bad side effects, there is so many threads on this site its hard to read them all does anyone have any other suggestions or experiences with atripla that may come in handy for me in the next 2 to 4 weeks while i get used to taking this.thank you everybody for your help.
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Don't let your nerves get to you. I started Atripla Friday night and took it on an empty stomach like advised and laid in bed "waiting" for the room to spin, to get sick, everything you can imagine. Saturday I woke up fine, felt a little dizzy about 12 hours post dosage, but nothing to freak out over. That was the last day that I felt dizzy and so far it's been clear sailing (knock on wood) and I haven't experienced any other side effects, except that I do find it a little harder to fall asleep.
Good luck - and just remember this is a powerful drug entering your body. You can drop me a note me privately if you want to email me if you get nervous or anything since we're both "new" to this drug. This forum is awesome for learning.
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Starting meds is far easier than enduring the anxiety and fear of it. It's almost anti-climactic.
Atripla is an amazing drug! You'll do fantastic on it!
-Will
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The pill works miraculously - remember that!!! It got me undetectable in just a few weeks and my CD4% to get the highest it has ever been since diagnosed (absoulte count still has to go up but I understand this may take some time).
I did suffer a few side effects the first few weeks but nothing major. A few dizzy/groggy mornings, that's all. For me - the longer window of no food I kept before taking the pill made a big difference.
Hopefully you won't endure any side effects but even if you do - remember the important thing!!!
Good luck!
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Hi luckyone, wish you good luck with your startup. I'm also starting (combo truvada and sustiva) this Friday, a bit nervous too, but glad to be getting on with it....same as you I think!! I'm glad to read this thread, good comments from bnwanna, abouttostart, and WillyWump.
One thing I did pick up from reading all I could in these forums about atripla and side effects was that it seems to be ok to take tylenol (not aspirin, or other NSIAD's though) should you get headaches, and having antihistamine ready should a rash show up. of course should confirm with your doc. this forum is "awesome"!! good luck and keep us posted!! esper
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I would recommend investing in a 7 day pill box, that you can pick up at any drugstore.
Besides some minor dizziness about an hour after taking the pill (if I don't go to bed right away, although wake up feeling great). It's been very easy for me.
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Hi. I've been on Atriplia for almost three years. It was the first, and only, HIV med I've been on. It's a good drug...has been for me. It dropped my viral load quickly, and I've been undetectable for over 2 years now. Only side effect i had was/is some crazy dreams. I tried it in the daytime with no adverse affects, but switched back to night for convenience. The big thing with it and all your meds is...TAKE THEM, and take them everyday and at the same time or as your doctor tells you to. Don't be scared, you'll be fine. Keep in touch with your doctor as you start and let him/her know what's going on. They'll know the right thing to do. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya! And if Atripla's not the right drug for you, there's plenty more out there. You'll find the right one. I know it!! :)
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One thing too is to always remember that every one is different.
Learn from what you read but don't let it stress you.
I say this because a few times (over the years), I would read people complaining about the size of the Atripla pill... Although I had seen the pill on the web I really had not idea about the size (in relation to)... I thought that this thing must HUGE.
Not putting down the other persons concern... but here I was worried that this thing would look like a pill made for horses, meanwhile my daily vitamin pill isn't much smaller then my Atripla pill. Huge maybe for a child...
Just goes to show their experience was quite different then mine.
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thanks everyone, yeah I'm very positive about starting this,already got a 7 day pill case(type 2 diabetes for 9 yrs.) i am used to taking pills for that every day,ill have to ask the Dr about headache I'm not allowed Tylenol hep c which was treated 6 yrs ago and remains neg VL since but still no Tylenol, i read Motrin can have an interaction with atripla ill have to bring this up Monday at the docs. 1 question when people say dizzy do you mean like very drunk laying in bed and the room spinning dizzy or like feeling a little buzzed the first time you got drunk dizzy,of course i assume its different for everyone who had this side affect?ill also ask the doc what the best antihistamine would be so i have it on hand just in case,thanks for the tips.
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For me I would only experience the dizziness if I didn't go to bed right away.
Maybe first 2 weeks it was more like a drunk feeling (but a nice drunk feeling... just tipsy enough. nothing was spinning).
With time the dizziness is less noticeable and no longer feel "drunk"... For me it's a /nice/ feeling, not that dizzy my head is in a spin thing.
I have more dizziness and a spaced out feeling with night time cold medication then I do with Atripla.
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I don't get any dizziness after taking the pill. I've stayed up more than 2 hours after taking my dose and no dizziness. I feel it around 12 hours post dosage, very slightly. Sort of like a quick poppers headrush or when you stand up too quick. Other than that I'm so thankful my body is accepting the pill. Still new so we'll see.
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I'm prone to headaches which is why I wanted to get something sorted out for that....if tylenol won't work for you, maybe the doc has something that willl (we have a panadol / codeine pain killer here called Panadeine which my doc said is also ok, although its for bad headaches). Anyway, hoping you won't need anything and will have a smooth startup!!! all the best, esper
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just an update for anyone who may be in the same situation as me with recently or considering starting atripla, day number two so far so good no side effects at all (yet im keeping my fingers crossed) im following the recomedations very strictrly no food 2 hrs prior and eating low fat foods before,ill eat between 4 and 5 then take pill at 7 bed by 9 or 10 up at 6 to drop daughter off at bus stop for 7am, ill keep updating so my experience may be considered by anyone who may be deciding to start it not.ps also drinking a lot of water thru the day, tommorows another day and i will see what it brings.
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This is excellent news and excellent advice!
Keep on truckin'!
-Will
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When I started ATIPLA my VL was 50,000 and my cd4 at 70. I went undetectable pretty fast and have stayed there ... I did get that ATRIPLA rash, which was on both arms and lasted less than a week [left as quickly as it came]. Nothing since then.
This may be unsolicited advice, but I would add that while this is a great drug, it is not a vitamin. Continue to help your body help itself by all the good things, like good food, water, exercise, mood boosters [for me it's rogh-water ocean swimming], and little or no alcohol.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU
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thanks for the hope and info, no drinking or drugs for me for almost 7 years, im prepared with some benadryl in case i get the rash and as far as adherance it will really take something completely out of my control to fuck up me taking my meds on time!! Day number 3 and feel really good i slept real good last night not like the fisrt 2 nights tossing and turning but other than that so far so good, BUT IM GETTING COMPLACENT I FIGURE MAYBE 4 WEEKS OF NO SIDE EFFECTS(FINGERS CROSSED) I MAY START TO THINK ABOUT BEING IN THE CLEAR OF THEM.thanks for everyone help.Especially my mentor!!
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OK its day number 8 i woke up this morning with the atripla rash on my chest,its not very bad looks like little reds dots that are kinda itchy,using some cortizone cream for the itch and just hoping it doesn't spread like crazy,other than that all has been well with the atripla as far as other side effects go,did get that atripla buzz a couple of days ago nothing major it felt like i had taken a valium or 2,from reading other posts I'm assuming i have 5 to 7 days of dealing with this rash and whats to come of it if anything.so far I'm very pleased with starting this medication ill find out for sure in about 3 weeks when i go for bldwrk. but the odds are in my favor that all is going to be fine.(glass is half full type thinking) i just want to try to help anyone who is trying to research this type of info. being as I'm new and am receiving a lot of good advice from others would like to try to help any way i can but do not have a lot of experience yet,but this is something I'm getting experienced with so i hope i can help someone with these updated posts.
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Hey luckyone - Glad you're doing great on day 8!
I'm now on my 18th day of Atripla and have never felt better. No major side effects (except the runs), no rash, fatigue is gone and my dreams are freaking awesome (the sex ones have never been so vivid - just wish I knew who the guy is in them - lol). Have a bit of insomnia though but eventually fall asleep. I can't wait to get my blood done Jan 4th. And I agree with you - these forums have been an amazing source of information. Thank you EVERYONE who has posted any type of info. It's so welcomed.
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this has been a great thread for all of us starting on this combo. Luckyone, hope the rash clears quickly. I'm on day 12, couple days with headaches (pretty well handled with xtra strength tylenol), and the morning fuzzy head is getting less and less each day, almost didn't notice it this morning. Feeling a bit tired last two days, but not too bad. I have noticed a couple of improvements to some minor skin stuff I had from before starting so I'm hoping / guessing its from the meds getting the virus under control. wish I'd had some of the vivid dreams but haven't as yet....oh well, small price to pay if things keep going as well as they have. gotta get through the first month then I think things will stablize for everyone!! hope everyone keeps doing well, and thanks for posting. esper
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day 10 atripla rash is worse just came from doctors office didn't want to take anything for granted,having read others experience Ive prepared myself if this happened,but do not want to play Dr.,so she said if i want to push thru she has no problem with that,she also said i was the worse case of this rash that she has seen,it now goes from my neck to my feet,a bunch of little red bumps some so close there like red patches(not shingles) kinda like poison ivy,does icth a little but it looks a lot worse than it feels.the Dr. said to call her on her cell if the rash goes to my lips or eyes and said that would most likely be the end of atripla for me, but said this could just be a bad rash also,wait and see,she gave me benadryl and cortisone cream. as far as I'm concerned for the track record that this medication seems to have as far as it getting hiv under control I'm definitely willing to deal with this as long as its just a reaction that my body needs to get used to meds.hopefully just a minor set back in order for me to stay alive and well,esper good for you that your side effects are lessening,i believe this is the right medication for first time hiv treatment,genotype allowing and am still very optimistic that it will be fine, i will update HOPEFULLY WHEN THIS RASH STARTS TO SUBSIDE. luckyone.PS. other than this still no other side effects,(fingers crossed)
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Hi Luckyone, I'm really hoping its just the side effect rash and will go away in a couple days for you....smart move to get to the doc since it seemed to get a bit worse. I've read a couple other posts where the rash was all over but went away as quickly as it showed up. really pullin' for you that it goes away and you can stay the course. But lots of other med options to go to if not so not to worry. keep us posted and good luck. esper
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I think you'll feel better on HAART so Merry Christmas and a new year with little or no viral activity. Bravo.
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day 12 the rash seems to be fading its getting lighter and did not spread to my face. all in all a small price to pay if this atripla works for me maybe 3 or 4 more days the way its going and the rash will probably be gone,other than that i feel great have got energy,some nights im tossing and turning in bed but nothing really major i do go back to the drs. on the 4th, she wanted to look at the rash again i think she gonna do bldwrk origanally set up on the 11th but with wanting to see the progression of the rash and where it stands on the 4th maybe she will draw it then i will update this thread when i get some results, started with a cd4 472 @ 32% and a VL 65,700 from what ive been told i should expect the atripla to knock out 90% of my VL in the first month so that would be down to 6,570 for the first set of labs and to be undetectable by 3 months(general rule of thumb) of course ive read some threads where they have become undetectable more quickly,one day at a time i guess.happy holidays everyone.
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well i got my 1st labs since starting atripla, great news cd4 520 35% and VL 412, my labs in october were cd4 471 32% and VL 65,700 the little bit of side effects that i have had to deal with were DEFINATELY worth the end results so far.
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Great numbers, Luckyone, congrats!! and that's not even on the meds for a full month! I checked my creatinine last week all's well with that, doc suggested we do cd4 and vl in early Feb. Hoping for numbers as good as yours!! Hope the others who were posting here and starting about the same time also doing well. keep us posted, Lucky...well done!! esper
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Atripla saved my life and no side effects at all!
Undetectable now and CD from 199 to 511 after a year on it!
You will do great.
Hugs :) ;) :D ;D
Eduardo
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One thing too is to always remember that every one is different.
Learn from what you read but don't let it stress you.
I say this because a few times (over the years), I would read people complaining about the size of the Atripla pill... Although I had seen the pill on the web I really had not idea about the size (in relation to)... I thought that this thing must HUGE.
Not putting down the other persons concern... but here I was worried that this thing would look like a pill made for horses, meanwhile my daily vitamin pill isn't much smaller then my Atripla pill. Huge maybe for a child...
Just goes to show their experience was quite different then mine.
Sorry to bump this old topic, i havent posted here in a while. Im switching from Sustiva/Truvada and i was curious, since it was mentioned, does anyone know the size of Atripla in relation to Sustiva/Truvada?
Also, has anyone else made this switch, or have any comments?
thanks
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I started meds recently. I was afraid of side effects but I have none. There are many combos to choose from. I am sure that you will find the right one. Do not feel obligated to a combo pushed by your doctor (taking into account that you have options). I am on Isentress/Truvada. My doctor wanted to put me on Atripla because "Sustiva is the most potent drug out there" -- she said. Try and see what happens. If it does not work, talk to your doctor and I am sure that you can work something out together. ;)