4 days into meds

[HippieLady]

I started my combo on Friday 6/4, Truvada, Reyataz and Norvair.  I also have to take Bactrim.  On day one I took them all at the same time, with my evening meal.  I felt fine aside from feeling kinda jittery.  At about 1 am I woke up to use the restroom and my stomach was very nauseous.  I tossed and turned for a bit, trying to get back to sleep, but I ultimately had to run to the bathroom and throw up.  Gross!

Day two and I was hyper-anxious to take my pills.  I had felt off all day...jittery, nauseous, foggy and uncoordinated.  Once I started cooking dinner the anxiety kicked into overdrive and I started having a panic attack.  A few deep breaths later, some mini meditation and I was good to go.  I took my HIV meds, I had taken the Bactrim earlier in the day to space them out, and I felt pretty good.

Every morning I wake up and just feel awful...sick to my stomach and weak feeling.  I know I just have to weather the adjustment period.  One connection I think I made is that on day one I ate some ice cream before bed after taking my meds.  That night I had to throw up in the night.  Then last night I ate some ice cream again and while I didn't throw up this morning....it took a great deal of will power to fight it back.  So maybe eating ice cream before bed is not an option right now, at least until some of these side effects wear off.

Another thing I wanted to see if others had experienced,  I don't think I can drive.  I feel half drunk most of the time and my cognitive function seems to have taken a nap because I am even more uncoordinated than I was before.  I would not want to risk the safety of my children or other drivers if I got behind the wheel.  Are these side effects that will eventually subside?

My nurse is supposed to call me next week to see how I'm doing on the meds and honestly I'm not super concerned because I know my anxiety can make things worse.  I actually feel pretty ok at the moment, the toast settled my stomach.

Any advice/tips/general pearls of wisdom?  And I apologize if my post seems all over, like I said....my mind seems to have taken a vacation.

[emeraldize]

Hey HL,

I have nothing to offer except I want to tell you that someone will stop by and offer their first-hand experience and advice. I start meds tonight, and it's been invaluable to have site members' input, go get 'ems and affirmations that I may have chosen a good med match for me and my lifestyle.

I assure you, someone will weigh in. Giving up ice cream would suck dearly as that is a source of calcium and joy for me, so I hope you don't have to forego that pleasure long-term.

Best of adjustments to you...
Em

[HowYouDoin]

Hi Hippie,

I think the nausea may be caused because you are taking bactrim along with your meds and your body is adjusting to it. I remember when I was on bactrim alone I had a bitter taste in my mouth and wasn't tolerating very well the first couple of nights but my body adjusted to it. Try to eat foods that are healthier, ice-cream wouldn't be a good choice to eat when you are healthy so imagine eating it when your body is trying meds. Hope it works out for you.

AL

[ad2san]

Hi HL,

you may try to take the Truvada, Reyataz, Norvir in the morning instead at night and not all together with Bactrim.

Cheers

[Assurbanipal]

Some people do get dizzy on Truvada.  I was really sick when I started so it is hard to tease apart what caused it, but I do remember falling down a lot when I started. 

(So there I was, two weeks out of the hospital, just determined to harvest the cherries from the tree.  Up the ladder, complete with my little portable oxygen tank. 

I took half the tree with me when I fell -- we call it "top pruning"     Oh, and you can pick the cherries much easier when the tree is on the ground.)

In addition to the ladder I fell off a couple of stepstools, down a half flight of steps and off my quarter inch heels a few times. 

Oddly, I wasn't allowed to drive for a month or so (wonder why  ) -- and it felt very disorienting when I started back. 

But all that vanished over time and after a couple of months I didn't feel it at all.

So, if you feel dizzy, you might want to honor that and cut back for a while.  And talk to your doctor about it.

But it should pass with time.




Oh -- and I think I was away for a bit when you joined -- so a belated welcome to the forums too!

A

[averagejoe1977]

HI!

I started on that combination for a month before switching the reyataz for darunavir.

I found that I felt nauseous and slightly dizzy on the Truvada, Reyataz, and Norvir, for the first few days, and then it slowly started to subside and things got much better.

Glad you are feeling a bit better. Hang in there!

[Hellraiser]

HI!

I started on that combination for a month before switching the reyataz for darunavir.

I found that I felt nauseous and slightly dizzy on the Truvada, Reyataz, and Norvir, for the first few days, and then it slowly started to subside and things got much better.

Glad you are feeling a bit better. Hang in there!

Hippie not sure if you're from the US but here most drugs go by their brand name and Darunavir is known as Prezista.

I think you'll find a LOT of people have some serious side effects from Bactrim, so it might actually be the bactrim that's the problem.  I personally took a couple of days to adjust to the meds and then I only got the severe side effects shortly after taking them.  Keep up the good work and hopefully these sides will be a thing of the past before long.

[HippieLady]

No dairy at all before bed, just a nice sensible snack.  Puked twice this morning already!  This blows...chunks! 

[Hellraiser]

No dairy at all before bed, just a nice sensible snack.  Puked twice this morning already!  This blows...chunks! 

Depending on what is causing you to vomit...if it's nausea you may want to ask your doctor for some pfinergan (I'm pretty sure this is badly mispelled).  So sorry you're having a roughe time Hippie.

[HippieLady]

I ate some toast and I'm feeling a little better.  I called my pharmasist and she suggested I talk to my doctor about something for the nausea and anxiety.  She said ativan and something else (I forget) was for anxiety but also helped with nausea.

I'm going to suck it up and get outta the house today.  I need to do something that makes me feel normal and taking my kids to the pool is normal.  Extra sunblock, long sleeve white tee over my suit and a hat and I should be well protected.  My doc would prefer I not go to the public pool but since I'm on the bactrim...I see no harm.  I need to get outta the house before I go crazy!

For now I'm going to just deal with the nausea.  I think it will pass.  Besides what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Thanks
~Hippie 

[emeraldize]

I ate some toast and I'm feeling a little better.  I called my pharmasist and she suggested I talk to my doctor about something for the nausea and anxiety.  She said ativan and something else (I forget) was for anxiety but also helped with nausea.

I'm going to suck it up and get outta the house today.  I need to do something that makes me feel normal and taking my kids to the pool is normal.  Extra sunblock, long sleeve white tee over my suit and a hat and I should be well protected.  My doc would prefer I not go to the public pool but since I'm on the bactrim...I see no harm.  I need to get outta the house before I go crazy!

For now I'm going to just deal with the nausea.  I think it will pass.  Besides what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Thanks
~Hippie 

Hi HL,
I hope you're feeling better. I am trying to psyche myself to deal with the nausea as it's preventing me from being upright and functional. Reading your reference to eating toast above actually made me think I could try that as I've had nothing to eat all day. And, even considering it and forming a vision of toast, is the equivalent of having a meal at this moment. I've got a raging migraine now, so need to call the pharmacist to make sure if I down a sumitriptan if that will come casting up next or cause an issue I've not a clue about.

Please tell us you went to enjoy the sun---I hope you did what you hoped to do.

Em

[emeraldize]

HL: While writing to you, Ann wrote to me about how to make ginger tea and if you've not got that available, try Ginger Tea in bags. Best. Em

You can grate the ginger root to make tea - grating is much better than slicing. Brew it up and put it through a fine-mesh sieve before drinking. Hope it helps!

[HippieLady]

Hi HL,
I hope you're feeling better. I am trying to psyche myself to deal with the nausea as it's preventing me from being upright and functional. Reading your reference to eating toast above actually made me think I could try that as I've had nothing to eat all day. And, even considering it and forming a vision of toast, is the equivalent of having a meal at this moment. I've got a raging migraine now, so need to call the pharmacist to make sure if I down a sumitriptan if that will come casting up next or cause an issue I've not a clue about.

Please tell us you went to enjoy the sun---I hope you did what you hoped to do.

Em

I do plan on going out...just waiting for my husband to get home so he can join us.  And then I'll have him as a back-up driver if I start to feel nasty.  I really think it'll be better if I can mentally suck it up.

I will try the ginger tea and I find if I can just eat something then I feel better.  I know it's hard to eat when ya feel so rotten.

~Hippie

[Ann]

HL: While writing to you, Ann wrote to me about how to make ginger tea and if you've not got that available, try Ginger Tea in bags. Best. Em

You can grate the ginger root to make tea - grating is much better than slicing. Brew it up and put it through a fine-mesh sieve before drinking. Hope it helps!

And like I said in Em's thread, I forgot to say to peel the ginger first. The skin can make it bitter.

I hope you feel better soon too. Barfing is horrible.

Ann
xxx

[HippieLady]

I picked up some ginger lemongrass tea last night, it has ginger as it's first ingredient.  I drank some before bed and another cup this morning when I woke up.  Still had the nausea but not nearly as worse as before...AND I didn't vomit which was a blessing! 

Still just taking it one day at a time.  It is such a hard adjustment to go from not needing much medical attention to having so many doctors appointments.  My 7 year old daughter is having some issue with her thyroid and is seeing a pediatric endocrinologist today.  It's just a lot to take in sometimes.

The pool was great yesterday!!  It was wonderful to just get out and do the family stuff we are used to doing.  I know the girls are very intuitive and must know that something is different.  They know mommy has to take medicine that makes me feel sick sometimes.  We homeschool so we are able to touch on a variety of topics, so this past spring we were learning about the different body systems.  They know the basics of what an immune system is and what it does....keeping your body healthy and fighting sickness.  I've told them that mommy's immune system is weak and now I have to take medicine to make it stronger.  They are fine with that much knowledge and so am I.  I can't begin to tell them I have HIV when they don't know what it is and are too young to comprehend.  I just want to keep everything as normal as possible on the homefront.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday! 

~Hippie

[WillyWump]

Depending on what is causing you to vomit...if it's nausea you may want to ask your doctor for some pfinergan (I'm pretty sure this is badly mispelled). 

I couldnt agree more. I vomitted for 3 days when I started my reg. Doc put me on Phenergan, afterwards not even a hint of nausea. for me it was a lifesaver. I was on Anti-Nausea's for about 10 days, by that time my bod became acclimated to the meds and I didnt need the A.N's any longer.

It sounds like your getting a bit better, but if the nausea lingers, and you think you need it, I would ask your doc for something.

All the best.
Will

[BlueMoon]

Maybe switching the type of Norvir you take will help.

One forum member reported getting sick after switching from gel-caps to tablets.  I don't know how he resolved that.  I've always taken the gel-caps and have had no problems.  On the other hand my friend just began HAART on the same regimen as you, with tablet Norvir, and no problems with that either.

I hope you find something that works soon.

[anniebc]

Hi HL

Glad to hear you are hanging in there, in some case's it takes a wee while for the meds to settle, but it looks like things are improving a bit for you, hope you continue to get better.

Take care
hugs
Jan

[emeraldize]

I couldnt agree more. I vomitted for 3 days when I started my reg. Doc put me on Phenergan, afterwards not even a hint of nausea. for me it was a lifesaver. I was on Anti-Nausea's for about 10 days, by that time my bod became acclimated to the meds and I didnt need the A.N's any longer.

It sounds like your getting a bit better, but if the nausea lingers, and you think you need it, I would ask your doc for something.

All the best.
Will

I'm making note of this for my restart. I've had four doses of Compazine just to get me back to square one. Perhaps Phenergan is an even better fit to accompany a regimen.

HL: By the by, I meant to write earlier to say, glad you went to the pool and got some sun. I'm glad you've been sharing your adjustment. I'll be jumping back in as soon as I can set up a little better support system for the Nausea Parade route. Em