i am motivated by both of your mottos..and will keep them in mind :) ..
i have two more questions regarding starting my generic of Atripla..you informed me that alcohol is okay..now if i take this medication on an empty stomach at bedtime..say 11.30pm..does that mean I "ABSOLUTELY NEED" to sleep down after that..can't i be awake till whatever time in the night and early morning..say, when one is out for a movie or dinner and then sitting with friends which would mean having some alcohol too? ..which leads me to my second question:
Am I supposed to not eat/drink anything after my medication at 11.30pm till the morning?
thanks as always for your great support! GnP
emeraldize:
--- Quote from: gaynpositive on October 31, 2012, 02:22:17 am ---3. Can i take any other doctor-prescribed drugs for any other ailments when on ART? i cannot tell my regular physicians (for general care, eye care, skin care, etc) that i have hiv and am on ART. So if i go to them for any regular medical care, n they prescribe whatever drugs/eye drops/topical creams/steroidal preparations ...can i take them without worrying about their reaction with ART, etc?
--- End quote ---
Hey Gay - Welcome.
If I were in your situation, regarding #3. , I would confer with a pharmacist (not yours!go to another store/outlet) and say...." My brother is HIV positive and on (Insert generic ATRIPLA or whatever) and I need to know if there are contraindications if he takes X, X, and X while on that regimen. He's too scared to ask his pharmacist." And take a pen/paper and take notes like a dutiful brother would.
Pharmacists are usually pretty cool and realize they're in the position of helping people keep their privacy, take good care of themselves and others. I've never found a pharmacist who wasn't helpful. I don't know if pharmacists are different in India.
Em
gaynpositive:
hey Emeraldize,
thanks for writing! Regarding #3, your suggestions are very appropriate and useful. But Indian Pharmacists are not like the US pharmacists. They are more like businessmen with half-baked knowledge about chronic diseases like cancer and HIV, etc. and we cannot blame them either, coz they are busy selling regular meds here and everyone is supposed to get medicines for chronic diseases through their doctors :) ..moreover, the stigma people have here about HIV is huge..so even if you go to a different pharmacist (not your own), he would first give you a shocking look ..and then a pity look..and then would simply turn you away coz he would not be selling HIV meds :)
For us here in India, the best information about drugs and side effects and anything else is Internet and forums like these..btw, a friend has just told me about this wonderful wonderful website to check for drug interactions, let me share it here with everyone:
an awesome, awesome site for anyone who wants to check out the interactions of various drugs with HIV medicines.
Thanks so much for writing! It always feels good to hear from fellow forum members, knowing that you have friends all over the world who are ready to help you :)
take care and have a Happy Diwali ! (the big festival of lights we are celebrating here in India today and tomorrow) :)
GnP
emeraldize:
HappyDiwali to you, too!
Sorry to learn about the great differences between your pharmacists and ours. '
I shall give mine a big hug and a box of cookies next time I see her!!!