Atripla - Adherence

[indianguy1984]

Need some advice.

I work shifts - i.e. one day could be a morning, another day could be a night shift, another day could be afternoon - it is very erratic.

Seroconverted in Oct last year - latest labs came up CD4 550 VL 16156 copies/ml
CD4 21%

I am not so sure whether to start medication. Saw 3 doctors so far - all tell me different things. Why different doctors - long story.

I am scared whether I can be adherent to medication - was considering Atripla when my doctor told me to start Raltegravir with Truvada. A BD dosing isn't exactly what I am looking for as I have a hard enough time taking vitamins on schedule.

Are Atripla pills big - I saw a Truvada tablet and I was like gosh.

My cholesterol is a bit high - 244. Add atripla to the combination and I am not sure whether I'll have to take simvastatin in the future.

[darryaz]

Atripla pills are just slightly larger than Truvada.

Personally if I was in your situation I would start taking Atripla now, while my CD-4 is still decent.  Yes, you may have to add a statin, lots of people do.  I take Crestor.

Atripla is best taken at bedtime.  I had a strange work schedule some years ago and taking it at bedtime (whether that was at 10:00am or 10:00pm) worked very well for me.  Just make it part of your bedtime routine...... Undress, brush teeth, take Atripla, get in bed.

Good luck!!

[newt]

For an anytime no sleep disturbance 1 x day combo look at Prezista (boosted with Norvir) and two nukes of Reyataz (boosted with Norvir) and Truvada or Reyataz (alone) and Kivexa/Epzicom.

All these are sufficiently robust for time of day not to be a major issue and tend not to affect sleep. They do need food but a sandwich/bowl of cereal will do.

- matt