update on new meds

[uk lady]

hey all just an update mainly. posted couple weeks ago with regards to changing my meds was on sustiva & truvada but due to me & pertner wanting to have a baby soon i have stitched the sustiva for kaletra. i finally plucked up the courage to actauuly take the tabs rather than just thinking about them! a few of u posted last time saying what the possible side effects could be the main one being diarrhea . well i took my first dose at 11 this morn & its now 9 at night. after about 3-4 hiurs of taking them i felt a little sick but other than that i have felt nothing at all. i did take 2 loperamide just incase so maybe thats why i havnt experienced any diarrhea yet. i was wondering if anyone can rem first starting on kaletra? & maybe is it too early to be experiencing anything yet? i take my secoond dose again at 11 tonight as was told its 12 hours apart. any info would be great thanks all

[thunter34]

I remember it.  Boy howdy.  But I have a disclaimer:  the Kaletra I started on was the old orange hideous evil gel caps, NOT the yellow/brownish long tablets.  The old Kaletra were horrible, and the new ones should give you remarkably better results as far as sides.  Still, they both cause endless poopie issues.  Immodium (2 pills every 2 days) was my standard rule - and even that didn't always work.  It's difficult to say about the onset of poo problems for me with respect to this med because it was my first regimen and I was already experiencing severe diarrhea prior to beginning it.  My run with the runs just went straight through, so I had them a few months before and after starting - all day, every day.  It was the only time I sat upright for about 2 months. 

As for other sides, I felt a little "ick" feeling in my stomach on the first night, but the true nausea did not begin until about the 3rd day on them and continued full tilt for about 3 weeks from there.  The barfing stopped, but the feeling like I would barf continued thereafter for about a month.  I had no rash from it, no headaches, no chills, no fever that I know of.  Just nausea, diarrhea and total exhaustion.  I was shut completely down.  The only way I beat the nausea eventually was to stay completely, utterly full at all conscious times.  Consequently, I gained over 30 lbs in about 3 months.  The docs loved it.  Me...not so much.

That was my complete experience with it.  Bear in mind that yours may not be as harsh if you are already somewhat meds experienced and if your overall starting point of health is better.  Oh...and since those sides diminished, the only major problems is have had were with cholesterol and triglycerides.  I have just switched off of this drug in the last few days due mostly to those blood issues.

Best of luck to you.  Keep us posted.

[uk lady]

oh dear sounds like you went through it big time, hope its not the same for me but then if it happens it happens not much i can do about it now! thanks so much for ur input will def keep you posted x

[thunter34]

Like I said, your outcome will likely be better than mine because of the circumstances at the outset of it.

Good luck!

[tag_man08]

Like I said, your outcome will likely be better than mine because of the circumstances at the outset of it.

Good luck!

what meds are working for you now...