POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: Pippet on January 10, 2007, 12:43:51 pm
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Two questions;
1) My ID has me on only Truvada for 2 or so weeks to see if my bad reaction was to the Truvada or to the Viramune. (adding a PI later) Does anyone see any problem with this? The only reason I am asking is that my doc seemed to question his decision to do this. I really don't know of any other way to confirm the Viramune as the culprit.
2) When is the best time to take Truvada? I take it before bed and it seems to keep me waking up all night. Also, is it best to take with or without food? The packaging isn't very clear on that. It mentions a "minor" reaction to food then states it can be taken with or without food. I'm looking for some "personal" opinions, I guess.
Thanks, Pippet
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I can see why your doc has a problem.
Without the presence of a 3rd drug, resistance to the drugs in Truvada is possible in 2-3 weeks. Me personally, I would not be happy taking the Truvada on it's own but I wouldn't just stop either cos this will increase the chance of resistance. The symptoms you described earlier were classic Viramune/NNRTI reaction. Plus if you are gonna have a really bad a reaction to Truvada (or more precisely one of the two drugs it contains), you's gonna see it in 5 days or less. So why the divvy doc's try and see approach I dunno....
The logical course of action would be to switch the Viramune for another drug, ideally from the PI class, since reactions to NNRTIs can run across all the drugs of this kind and this is the most likely culprit.
On a personal note I find taking Truvada at night keeps me awake well into the wee hours close to dawn. Taking it with food improves how one of the drugs in Truvada (Viread) is absorbed into the body and reduces wind (a common Viread side effect), so a good idea. Not essential though.
When do I meet your doc on the golf course (not planning on hitting balls with the club though unless they're attached to an MD :D)?
- matt
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Thanks Newt, I was hoping you would chime in on this one. I am really starting to question my ID doc! My first clue was when he had to check to see if Truvada and Viramune could be taken together or not.
This is only day two on Truvada only and my next doc appointment is the 16th. I wish I would of posted the question before I started taking it.
Thanks, Pippet
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Maybe the right prescription is a new doc....
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I would find a new ID doc. Yours is, at best, incompetent and, at worst, quite dangerous.
But that won't help your immediate situation. I would call your doctor - TOMORROW - and tell him you don't feel comfortable taking drugs in only one class because you fear resistance. Ask him to go ahead and prescribe a PI, if that's the way he's planning to go. If he balks, remind him that it is you who is at risk for resistance, not him. Document the time, date, and substance of the call, because.........
If, God forbid, you DO by some chance develop resistance to NRTIs as a result of this, waste no time, sue the pants off of him right away. He has already strayed out of the standard of care.
Truvada keeps me awake for five or six hours after I take it, and the quality of sleep is poor. I switched to taking it in the morning after breakfast and have had no further sleeping problems. In the morning, it's better than two cups of coffee.
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I posted a similar question on "The Body" and the reply was you only do this if you're going to go on a drug holiday. Some of the drugs (like Sustiva) stay in the body longer so you drop it first and 3-5 days drop the other one. Anything longer is lunacy since you're essentially on monotherapy which has been proven to lead to drug resistance.
I agree with the others. Get a new doc. Not all ID's are created equal.