Lexiva and Truvada combination - Side effects

[TampaLatinGuy]

Since I no longer take Atripla due to the horrible allergic reaction it gave me, the doctor started me on Lexiva and Truvada.  I have been taking these for the last 10 days, 4 pills of Lexiva and one of Truvada a day.  Since last Tuesday, on day 6, I started a small rash on my butt.  The it spread all over my lower part of my butt and upper legs, it itches.  a few days later, the patches of rash started on my upper arms. It looks really bad, specially my butt, since it looks gray and red.  Very embarrassing.  I'm concerned since I lost two weeks of work last month due to the horrible reaction from the Atripla that sent me to the hospital for 4 days.  Now I'm getting angry and don't want to talk to any of my friends, just want to go to work do my thing, then come home and turn off the phone.  This is really getting old for me.  I have only been infected for 7 months, never been sick and now I have all these issues.  I know I'm not alone, I have been trying to keep a positive attitude, but it gets tough.  I don't understand my body anymore, I have no control over it.  It seems that all I'm doing is taking pills, and then more pills to correct what the first pills are doing.

Does anyone feels this way?  I'm sure I'm not the only one.

My cd4 on December 2006 was 213 and Viral Load 450,000

Pedro

[newt]

Hey hello bad luck

Severe or life-threatening skin reactions were reported in less than 1 percent of 700 patients treated with Lexiva in clinical studies. Skin rashes occurred in approximately 19 percent of patients treated with Lexiva in the pivotal efficacy studies, less than 1 percent of people stopped Lexiva as a result. The rash can usually be managed with over the counter/simple prescription anti-rash meds or goes away on its own.

Lexiva is a sulfa drug and if you are allergic to sulfa meds then maybe not a good choice for you. There are lots of other PIs that aren't based on sulfonamides, eg Reyataz, Kaletra.

Hope it clears up

- matt

[TampaLatinGuy]

   Great news, after tree weeks, the rash is gone.  Still taking the same dose, 4 Lexiva, 1 Truvada.  Feeling great, have not felt this good in a long time.  Apparently the rash was residues from the Atripla reaction I had the month before.   Just got the test results from the last blood test and the results are awesome.  On December my TD4 was at 219 and it remains at 219, the good news is that it stopped from getting any lower.  The viral load dropped from 401,719 in December to 3,716 today.

[theblueangel]

Pedro,

I'm thrilled to hear that you've gotten over the rash and feeling good again (finally, huh?) on your meds. I had a similar bad reaction to Sustiva (except instead of a rash it was severe neurological/psychological side effects) and it took a good month or 2 of my current regimen (Truvada/Norvir/Reyataz) before I realized that what happened w/ my first regimen was apparently an aberration from "the norm" (whatever that is) and that taking these new meds really would start to feel like "just another thing that I do throughout every day."

-Andrew