POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: AboutToStart on June 15, 2009, 10:55:20 pm
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Hello Forum,
I believe my time has come and I'm getting ready to start treatment. I read on here folks mentioning the rash as a common side effect of Atripla. Can someone please elaborate on that a little: How bad is the Atripla rash? Is it all over the body (and face) and visible to others? What's the best way to treat it or does it just go away after a few weeks?
Any input will help. Thanks!
???
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I have been on Sustiva and Truvada in two separate pills for years now. This is the same combo of drugs found in the single Atripla pill.
I never got the rash. :)
~Cindy
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Hey
I have been on atripla 3 1/2 mos now. Never got rash.
It brought my v/l down from 800,000 to 2,994 in one month. Cd4 went from 325 to 544. Good luck with it.
Matt
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Hi,
Ive been on Atripla for 30 days, never got the rash.
From what I understand it can cover your entire body but typically goes away after 7 days, usually sooner.
Dont go into this expecting the rash, it's just going to create more anxiety for you.
-Will
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I would try not to stress about it too much. I am sure there are people that have to deal with the side affects. And, I hope you don't. But, I have been on Atripla for about 3 years. And, as many other people have said, I haven't experienced any. I have even made it through grad school while taking meds, with a nearly perfect GPA and working at the same time. So, it's entirely possible to manage your life. 8)
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I never got the rash either and I have been on Atripla for years. Don't stress over it as everyone is different. Mary~
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I never experienced a rash either. I felt mostly tired, and it only lasted a couple of weeks - during which time I was able to keep up with my responsibilities (work, pets), but didn't really have energy left to do anything else.
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I never got the rash, but I think statistics are that about 25% of people do experience some kind of rash...either minor or more severe.
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I started atripla a week ago. The first night I took it about 8 pm and fell asleep on the sofa. Then woke up about 1230 feeling really drugged. I didn't like that at all. By the morning I felt like I had a hangover, not nauseous, just fuzzy and tired. Took it at 10pm just before going to bed the second night, slept all night and woke still feeling fuzzy and out of it, but not as bad as the day before. By Monday the was no fuzziness at all. Today I feel great. I've had no other side affects except dreams which are not a big deal at all either in intensity or subjects.
I was nervous about starting atripla too but it nothing has come of it. I even went to work and the fuzziness didn't hamper me at all.
Good luck
Brian
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I got the rash 10 days after starting Atripla. Before then, the only side effect I had was a drunk feeling which I actually liked because it helped me sleep.
The rash started on my feet and crawled its way up to my neck over night. I got the rash on a Saturday and by the time my doctor saw me on Monday he took one look at me and said "I'm taking you off Atripla." It sucked because I liked the one pill a day and didn't care about the dunk side effect. I also missed out on a hike that Saturday.
If you start getting the rash, take some Benadryl as soon as you see bumps forming. If you take it early enough, it may stop it from spreading and go away in about a week or two. If not, your doctor may put you on steroids to control it. But if it's as severe as mine, they may take you off it.
It took about 7 to 10 days before the rash was completely gone. After, I was put on another regimen and developed a smaller rash 10 days after starting that one too, but that one went away with Benadryl and I'm still on that regimen.
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I got the rash 10 days after starting Atripla. Before then, the only side effect I had was a drunk feeling which I actually liked because it helped me sleep.
The rash started on my feet and crawled its way up to my neck over night. I got the rash on a Saturday and by the time my doctor saw me on Monday he took one look at me and said "I'm taking you off Atripla." It sucked because I liked the one pill a day and didn't care about the dunk side effect. I also missed out on a hike that Saturday.
If you start getting the rash, take some Benadryl as soon as you see bumps forming. If you take it early enough, it may stop it from spreading and go away in about a week or two. If not, your doctor may put you on steroids to control it. But if it's as severe as mine, they may take you off it.
It took about 7 to 10 days before the rash was completely gone. After, I was put on another regimen and developed a smaller rash 10 days after starting that one too, but that one went away with Benadryl and I'm still on that regimen.
Thank you all for responding and sharing your information. I'm not "Stressed" about the rash (or any other Atripla side effect), perhaps "Concerned" is a better word to describe it. So I just wanted to get better informed and knowledge, and hear from someone who actually had it. Thanks again.
Truth is, I'm starting to educate myself about Atripla only recently. I'm about to start meds as my CD4+ started to decrease after being stable around 500 for a couple of years. I thought initially of starting with Isentress/Truvada as I was reading so many good things about it, though not officially (yet) approved for first time beginners. But then I met with my Doc and another Pharmaceptical Specialist who both voted AGAINST it, stating there is just not enough info about it so taking it is the equivalent of gambling (with your health/life) while there are PROVEN meds that work like Atripla and boosted PIs.. I started looking then into a boosted Prezista/Truvada, but then realized nothing beats the convenience of 1 pill a day over 3 or 4 (especially if you need to get on the road and start packing meds 4 fold more). So I made a switch (and hopefully final decision) to Atripla (also - just one co-pay a month, but that WAS NOT the main reason), and now I'm trying to learn about it.
I understand that some people, more than others, can be alergic to certain component of the pill, and a severe rash can be such an outcome. I'm sorry PopQueer you had to experience it, but thanks alot for sharing it.
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I have been poz for over 19 years and never had any issues with my meds over the years, and I've been on almost everything that's come down the pipeline. I've taken part in drug trials, done drug holidays, etc. After all these years of compliance and healthy CD4 counts and undetectable viral loads, the one thing that caught up to me was that my bone density has diminished to the point where I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis last October at 44-years old. My doc just switched me from Ritanovir/Truvada/Reyataz to Atripla and I think I am going to lose my mind. I don't understand how so many people have been able to tolerate this drug. I just started it this week and I feel like a walking zombie. I can't function at work, I feel like a drunk when I try to walk, my brain is in a fog and I feel miserable emotionally. My dreams are frightening/ridiculous for the few hours I can sleep, until I wake up around 4am completely wired like I am on speed. I honestly do not think I can handle the 6-8 week "break-in" period my doctor is suggesting. If anyone can tell me what they did to help tolerate this drug I would be very appreciative.
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For the sleep problems, someone suggested to me on here that I take melatonin. I took it for five weeks and it really helped me get to sleep. If I woke prematurely with it, I was really groggy and would fall right back to sleep. Whereas without it, I would wake up wide awake and go directly into a panic attack (the anxiety was more from my new diagnosis I think). Now I use melatonin when I think I will have an issue. You should know that they say to stop taking it after 60 days so your body will relearn how to naturally produce it
Sleep issues were a major problem for me before and I think that atripla exacerbated them esp during the break-in period.
Good luck,
Matt
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From a "what my doctor told me" perspective...
Only 2% of Atripla users ultimately cannot tolerate it.
But I take that with a grain of salt... 2% who cannot absolutely tolerate it, is one thing...
The percentage of folks who have "issues" with Atripla, may be higher.
As you can see, many take with few issues, but those who have issues, they can be rather impacting.
I went the PI route with Reyataz/Truvada/Norvir, after going through the same process of evaluation. Just with any combo, transition period can be mild to rough, but hopefully after adjustment, comfortable enough.
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Well I'm already taking Ambien CR to help me sleep better at nights even before starting with the Atripla, so hopefully no new sleeping problems will arrise after I do start...
In case of nausia or dizzines there are medications that help control it, as well as with diaria if gets too bad.. Benadryl for a rash, so I think I'm all covred (just in case..)
From now on all I can do is just start taking the "A" pill and hope for the better..
Thanks for all the inputs you guyz..
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I've been on Atripla 5 weeks now and had a small rash during week three around my collarbone. It looked like a mild sunburn and lasted only two days, not a big deal. I'm not sure if it really was an Atripla rash since it wasn't made up of small red spots (I remember reading somewhere that the red spots=Atripla rash. I may be wrong.).
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I took benedryl with the sustiva right from the start and had no rash but i did notice pigment changes in a few blotchy areas which went away after discontinuing sustiva. all my sleep problems cleared up too.
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I hope this helps someone.. as I'm pretty much blind in going through this (none of my friends are being treated) and I value the other help I've seen here as well.
After my 11th day on Atripla, I had the 'sunburn' rash on Monday.. felt like crap and took the day off work. Took generic benadryl as the package described and by Thursday is was 99% gone.. the itch stopped immediately. My energy was back on Tuesday better than ever.
The rash really does look like a sunburn.. just was odd for me because the backside of my arms never tan/burn :)
jase