Do you take your daily drugs with fewd?

[poz1970]

Howdy,

Recently I'd been having some major stomach issues (7 weeks of anal wee really fucked me up), and imodium was just blocking me up alot, along with a lack of energy..

So I started taking my tablets Viramune 200mg, Lamivudine 150mg and Ziagen 300mg (all twice a day), and zoloft 100mg... with food, and the stomach pain/issues seem to have slowed down (hopefully stopped, give it a week, before I'm sure).  My cd4 at last test was 729 (was under 100 when diagnosed)  -- I have noticed that regardless of my cd4, it doesn't help with any feeling of wellness though :-(

Has any one else had any experience with taking their tablets with food?

J

[david25luvit]

I always take mine just before dinner...
but lately I've noticed I've had cramps again. 
The other night I had to use an enema to get things rolling
and once it started I didn't think it would ever end.   And this is a new development.
No doubt every day is an adventure when your taking HIV meds.

[AlanBama]

No doubt every day is an adventure when your taking HIV meds.

Truer words were never spoken!

[alberche]

Hiya...

True, every day is different!!!!

I take Truvada plus Reyataz plus Norvir... Truvada you can take it with or without food. Reyataz is recommended to be taken with at least a snack.

I take alll the pills at dinner, during dinner, not at the end of it or at the beginning. It took some months to me to discover that this was the best way to reduce cramps, diarrhoea and gases. I find also helpful a lactobacillus yoghourt every day in the morning and a normal non sugar yougourt at night, before going to bed.

Sometimes, when travelling, or at work, and I cannot take a real meal, I then take a snack, but gases and liquid "tides" appear again!!! Not as hard as at the beginning... but... they come back and it takes the whole thing a couple of days to "normalize" again.

In the end I think that if your meds allow it, taking them with food, a real complete food, is much better.

Hugs :-)

[RobT]

I try not to take my med(s) w/ food. The bottle of Atripula suggests not to take it w/ food, so does my doc. That is not to say that u cannot take it w/ food...just a recommendation. I noticed cramps when I take my Atripula closer to when I eat, so I tend to not have anything in my stomach for at least 1.5 hrs b4 I take my meds.

Rob

[Just John]

Well up 'til now I've been one of the lucky buggers whose side effects have been minimal.

I am on my first regimen of 400mg Viramune, 300mg Lamivudine and 245mg tenofovir once daily, the Viramune was originally twice a day.

I was told that with/before/after food was irrelevant with these meds for their efficacy, but a health adviser later told me that generally speaking, with food generally gave fewer, or less severe side effects.

I had mild cramps for a couple of months; and nuclear farts which persist to this day but thankfully the 'with food' advice seems to be the best one for me.

I certainly notice a difference if I take them on an empty stomach when the cramps return and it takes a couple of days to settle down again.

different meds have different needs though so it's important to read the instructions and take advice from the Doc's and Nurses.

John

[Queen Tokelove]

The bottle of Atripla I have says take with food so I listened...BIG MISTAKE...Not just by me but by the pharmacy as well. My doc doesn't want me to take with food and now I know why. I usually take my diabetic meds upon getting up  or really after I check my sugar, which is on an empty stomach because my fasting sugars tend to be high sometimes.

[StrongGuy]

I was on Kaletra and I had to take it with food -- and I made sure it was something bready like a bagel and found it helped settle my stomach. I would get mild manageable bouts of nausea for about an hour after each dose (though not every single time) and the food helped somewhat.

I switched docs and he quickly took me off the Kaletra because I had options and he's big on quality of life and working to get people on regimens they tolerate well. If your symptoms don't improve, and you have options, and the sides are too much, I'd suggest exploring a new regimen. While the Kaletra was manageable, making the switch to Sustiva was the best move I made (and one I wish I had made much earlier).

Best of luck,
Mike )))

[Oceanbeach]

I have been on Sustiva and Trizivir for a couple of years now.  Neither require to be taken with food.  Looking back over the past 11 years with AIDS and meds, I have always gone for the choices in meds which do not require being taken with food.

Recently at the optomitrist office, I was silent but deadly. In the early years, I never left the house unless I could walk home and not be seen...  This in itself was an amazing feat for Los Angeles.  I called it the "3 minute warning" because within 3 minutes of the first sudden urge to take a dump, there was one.  Today, I can laugh about it here in the Forums but 10 years ago, it was easier to remain isolated.

I have adjusted my life around it by never having appointments before noon and rarely have lunch with friends.  Have the best day
Michael