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Author Topic: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow  (Read 29129 times)

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Offline Ann

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #50 on: June 09, 2010, 03:43:46 pm »
Glad to hear it worked, Em. Nothing worse than nausea and puking. (I had the winter vomiting virus a few times this winter - ~shudder~ - so I totally sympathise!)

Also glad to hear you got your doc's advice and you can try again when it's a more convenient time for you. 
Condoms are a girl's best friend

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"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #51 on: June 09, 2010, 05:35:11 pm »
Thank you, Ann.

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #52 on: October 16, 2010, 05:35:08 pm »
With Isentress curtains you can roll right down, in case there's a change in the wea--ther...


Despite the fact that I've not posted in this thread for at least sixty days, I'm using it for simplicity's sake and in case anyone were to search for Isentress use, came up with this thread and wondered what ever happened.

I did restart the regimen last week and must report Inchling and JK were quite helpful in PMs about a variety of things. I'm most thankful for their input. Inchling's experiences with Isentress and reading I did made me feel more and more certain that I had an very unusual first time.

Things are going quite well thus far. I do take an anti-nausea pill in the morning because I was nauseous Day 2 and wanted to get to work. I should clarify I now think I had a bug when I first tried in June. I wanted to blame the med, but it was just terrifically uncanny and crappy timing.

In a few weeks I'll have a blood draw and we'll see how things are going. Except for feeling just slightly odd the first couple of days, the only thing I've noticed is needing to zonk out for a nap at times, but that could be anything from change of weather to sleep cycle to aging, etc.

I plan to drop the anti-nausea med soon to see how things go.  Meanwhile, ...ain't no finer rig I'm a-thinkin'!

Em

Offline Ann

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #53 on: October 17, 2010, 02:47:29 am »
Good to hear it's going better for you this time around, Em. Keep us posted.

Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #54 on: October 17, 2010, 11:40:11 am »
Thanks, Ann. I will.
Em

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #55 on: October 17, 2010, 03:45:42 pm »
yay! i am glad to have been of some help... but am even gladder that you are doing okay. I personally have little if any excuse not to be adherent on my combo. and at least oen other Jonathan in the multiverse is, indeed, that disciplined, or at least is far less messed up int he head than me.

Isentress headaches suck, but for me, an advil and/or a good nap usually get rid of/wait them out. I just have to be careful not to take meds within an hour or so of a known stressful activity. In Atlanta, this includes driving or shopping.

The runs is a rock and hard place situation. If I don't take my meds, I get diarrhea from the HIV thriving in my gut. When I do take meds, the Norvir makes for an unwelcome friend for a few hours (at least). So ya know, damned if you do ...

This site is incredible. It really does save lives and make it possible to have a healthy HIV existence for a lot of people. That's worth the hassle, easily.

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

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Offline Inchlingblue

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #56 on: October 18, 2010, 09:49:05 am »
So great to hear how things are progressing, Em!

Please continue to keep us posted (not indefinitely of course, but until you're more sure it's "the one.")

Are you taking it twice a day or did you decide to go for once a day dosing?

jkinatl2: How distressing that you're getting headaches. In my particular case, as I think I mentioned somewhere else, I was getting horrible headaches before starting meds and once I started Isentress /Truvada the headaches completely went away. I like to think teh virus was frolicking away in my brain until it was stopped in its tracks.

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #57 on: October 18, 2010, 10:56:35 am »
Thanks so much, Inchling.

I'm being dutiful with the dosing box and going with twice-a-day.  You know for the first time, since diagnosis, I'm looking forward to seeing my next set of numbers.

Does anyone know how rapidly and to what extent CD4 counts can rise? That's my next literature search pursuit, but if anyone can weigh in on this, I would appreciate it.

Em

Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #58 on: October 18, 2010, 11:20:01 am »

Does anyone know how rapidly and to what extent CD4 counts can rise? That's my next literature search pursuit, but if anyone can weigh in on this, I would appreciate it.

Em

When I switched to Isentress my CD4 count went up about 150 (in 1 month), and then another 200 (3 months later), and my % during that same four month period up 5% which is a very healthy increase in that small amount of time.

However, compared to others I know (locally, not on these forums) I had a larger, quicker increase than most.

edit: Oh, but of course I wasn't treatment naive either so not sure how much my little tale is worth for you
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #59 on: October 18, 2010, 11:22:53 am »
WOW! Strange thing is my percentage has been holding high (30%) while CD was trending down. Thanks so much for posting this---I can only hope. Your addendum about treatment naivete might be something worth asking the doc. I hadn't thought of that...duh, cuz I'm naive!

Offline Inchlingblue

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #60 on: October 18, 2010, 11:27:24 am »


Does anyone know how rapidly and to what extent CD4 counts can rise? That's my next literature search pursuit, but if anyone can weigh in on this, I would appreciate it.


I think that can vary wildly.

In my case I started when I was at about 350. The next reading about 2 weeks later, I was in the 500s and undetectable (I started with a low viral load of about 9K-12K).

The CD4s slowly kept rising and about one year later they were in the 800s.

Isentress (and integrase inhibitors in general) has been shown to be among the fastest meds at lowering viral load.

Since it inhibits integrase, it doesn't allow the virus to integrate into DNA to begin with.

On a separate but related (and hopefully interesting) note, there are scientists working on a cure using peptides that do the opposite of Isentress, i.e. boost viral integration, causing a kind of "overload" in which the cell dies taking the virus with it.

LINK:

http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=34037.0

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #61 on: October 18, 2010, 05:27:58 pm »
I can imagine the variance is great, but just wondered if there's any sort of average. Between you and Miss P, the average is 150 in a month or less. I would be quite content with that. I wish I knew what my pre-dx CD4 count was -- as I've always wondered if it was always sort of low-ish. My WBC is always well below normal, but it's "our family's normal" and was so before dx also.

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #62 on: October 28, 2010, 05:11:54 pm »
I posted something to Skeebo's thread about his new numbers and realized I should update this thread with my experience to date with the Isentress.

Since starting meds, I've not felt this good, this energetic, this productive in MANY years. And the only thing that changed was meds. If I'd known I would feel this good, I'd have gone on meds earlier. Now, once the numbers come in, we'll see if it is my imagination.

Em

Offline surf18

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #63 on: October 28, 2010, 10:24:37 pm »
i actually received an email from the rapid ceo , one doing a peptide study. the peptide thing is fascinating and maybe the key to the end of this as well. he told me to sit tight and with patience comes preserverance.
i had asked him to get me in his study.
the peptides look to be another non toxic treatment....

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #64 on: November 16, 2010, 05:20:04 pm »
Update: got labs today and my VL is undetectable and CD4 have increased by 10---all in 30 days.

Offline ElZorro

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #65 on: November 16, 2010, 05:23:34 pm »
Update: got labs today and my VL is undetectable and CD4 have increased by 10---all in 30 days.

Congrats, Em! I'm very happy for you!   ;)

Offline Assurbanipal

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #66 on: November 16, 2010, 06:45:11 pm »
Congratulations on the great results!
5/06 VL 1M+, CD4 22, 5% , pneumonia, thrush -- O2 support 2 months, 6/06 +Kaletra/Truvada
9/06 VL 3959 CD4 297 13.5% 12/06 VL <400 CD4 350 15.2% +Pravachol
2007 VL<400, 70, 50 CD4 408-729 16.0% -19.7%
2008 VL UD CD4 468 - 538 16.7% - 24.6% Osteoporosis 11/08 doubled Pravachol, +Calcium/D
02/09 VL 100 CD4 616 23.7% 03/09 VL 130 5/09 VL 100 CD4 540 28.4% +Actonel (osteoporosis) 7/09 VL 130
8/09  new regimen Isentress/Epzicom 9/09 VL UD CD4 621 32.7% 11/09 VL UD CD4 607 26.4% swap Isentress for Prezista/Norvir 12/09 (liver and muscle issues) VL 50
2010 VL UD CD4 573-680 26.1% - 30.9% 12/10 VL 20
2011 VL UD-20 CD4 568-673 24.7%-30.6%
2012 VL UD swap Prezista/Norvir for Reyataz drop statin CD4 768-828 26.7%-30.7%
2014 VL UD - 48
2015 VL 130 Moved to Triumeq

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #67 on: November 16, 2010, 07:17:57 pm »
Thanks El Zorro and Assurbanipal!!

Offline emeraldize

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #68 on: November 23, 2010, 05:45:55 pm »
One new item, turns out my percentage went from 26% to 34% . Thanksgiving time, for sure.

Offline ElZorro

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Re: Made the Decision Today--Meds Start Tomorrow
« Reply #69 on: November 23, 2010, 06:10:54 pm »
Yea!  ;)

 


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