How to change what time i take my Atripla and remembering to take it

[hereinny]

I started taking Atripla in the morning.  My schedule is somewhat complicated and think morning would be easier than nights.  If i need to change the time to nights, im not really sure how to do this.  My doctor said i would be better off to move it up 2 hours later each day for for a week rather than taking it 2 hours earlier each day for a week.  Anyone have any ideas on this?

Another question?  Since EVERYONE seems to have concerns about how to remember to take their meds, how come there is very little talk on this site (or anywhere else) about the text messaging services the drug companies offer?  This is an awesome way to remember to take your meds.  Unless your prone to forget your phone at home, its pretty foolproof.  I can do this with verizon wireless and i respond to the text message once i take the pill just so that i forget weather or not i took it.  I started doing this with a vitamin pill about 3 months ago when i thought i would be starting meds.  Never missed a pill.

[PozBrian]

I don't have any advice about switching to the morning, but seems like it's possible. Others a have posted that they are taking atripla in the morning, and I think I could be ok taking in it in the morning too, but I'm going to stick to taking it at night.

I have come up with several ways to remember to take my pills. Easiest thing is to add a daily alarm on a cell phone. I have one at 7 am for a vitamin and INH, and one at 10 pm for my atripla.  I also take uroxatrol for BPH at dinner. No alarm for that one as missing a dose isn't critical like it would be for INH or atripla.

When I go away for a long weekend, like I am for the 4th, I have a pill box to carry around my little friends. I also just recently go at pill box that is also a key ring. The pill box is nice because and empty container means the pills have been swallowed. Or fell out.   

The one that I have started doing that may be of the most help to you is I turn the pill bottle over after I've taken them for the day.  I set them all right side up when I take the atripla, all set for the next day. You could alternate upside down one day to mean they were taken, then right side up the next day. I'd get confused whether it was an up day or a down day so I don't do that. If you have a complicated morning routine a quick look at the bottles to see if they are right side up or not might be the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Of course you still have to remember to check the bottles (hence the cell phone alarm). I keep them on the kitchen counter.

Brian

[antibody]

just switch till the morning then. you should have plenty of Sustiva in your system that 8 hours will be nothing. just moved it up 8 or so hours from when you took it at night.
be careful the first few days of the switch because you won't be used too being awake when you take it the side effects might be more noticeable.

[newt]

My doctor said i would be better off to move it up 2 hours later each day for for a week rather than taking it 2 hours earlier each day for a week.  Anyone have any ideas on this?

Personally, I wouldn't bother, I'd just switch one day. The drugs in Atripla stay in your body for such a long time a one-off lateness won't matter.

I remind myself by setting an alarm on my phone.

- matt

( beaten to it by mr A)

[hereinny]

It seems i gave the impression that i am going to switch to taking the atripla in the morning.  That is wrong.  I am already taking it in the morning and thinking of taking it at night instead.  Its only been one day so i guess i will have to see how it all goes.

[antibody]

so when you wake up the next morning skip that dose and then take it before you go to bed that night. it's that easy.

[hereinny]

sounds pretty easy,  i have a habbit of complicating things.  not sure i can do it the easy way.  lol
actually i just wasnt sure if it was really safe to do that.  My doctor just said to take it later, not earlier to make the switch so that i dont drive the levels too high in my system. 

[positivmat]

I switched from night to morning and back to night. The drunk feeling was not going to let me get much done at work - but it sure made some people easier to deal with. When I switched my dr was not to concerned with how I switched. But when asked said that I might want to do it in 3-4 hour increments earlier each day. Then I went later each day to get back. I did 2 hour intervals though. Now I consistently take it between 9:30 and 11pm I set my blackberry alarm.

I have to say now my body seems to have fully adjusted to the side effects with no problems after 4 months.

Good luck with the results. I will have my new #'s next week. My first month got it down to under 3k from 800k so it was great. And I could actually feel better than I did before.

[Luke]

Personally, I wouldn't bother, I'd just switch one day. The drugs in Atripla stay in your body for such a long time a one-off lateness won't matter.

Ditto.

If you had been on Atripla a bit longer, I'd have said just double up and take both your morning and evening dose, as I did - but given that you are at the sharp end of acclimatising yourself, the potential for disturbing side-effects from that are far too great; so just forget the morning dose and slip straight into the first evening dose after that.

There is also the fact that if you are thinking of doing it any time in the next few weeks, your viral load is going to be far too high for it to make any difference if you have that extra time between doses on a swap. It is probably going to take you three or four weeks to get to undetectable, so there are no real additional resistance issues right now.

All this business about doing it in stages just complicates matters too much and for no better reason the needlessly extreme caution.

I remind myself by setting an alarm on my phone.

Likewise. If a text message will remind you, then a recurring daily reminder set on your phone will work just as well. I just delete the reminder each day when I take my meds - that way, if I can't remember whether I have taken them, I can just check the phone to see if it has been deleted.

It will probably be worth your while investing in one of those pill boxes with a compartment for every day of the week. That'll give you another quick and easy visual reminder as to whether or not you remembered to take your meds.

Half the problem is that it can become so routine that you don't even think about it and then end up doubting whether you have taken your meds. It is generally the case that you are less likely to need the reminders and the checks if you have them in place - and that if you try to get by without them, you will find yourself constantly questioning yourself.

[BlueMoon]

Alarm clock and pill box for me.  I'd never get that evening dose on time without the alarm.