Author Topic: new to the forum starting meds, sick of been poorly (Read 7686 times)

funkycj · « **on:** July 06, 2011, 09:51:02 am »

I was diagnosed with HIV in 2008 and was ok for the first year or so with gud cd4 and VL's, then i started getting colds and viral infections which became more frequent and worse each time, then i became extremely depressed and constantly worrying, its really taking it out of me physically and emotionally, i have been bed bound for majority of the past year and taking ridiculous concocsions of anti biotics and due to my decent cd4 and VL results my consultant wanted to wait to start treatment , at my last appointment the other week my cd4 was 500 and my VL 67000 , we discussed possible treatemts which will hopefully help my immune system battle the disease and the constant viral infections and i am going to be starting meds next week which could be atriple or another combination of NRTI'S, ive read info bt dnt understand some of the medical gargen, from what i understand and feel the side effects can be no worse than how i am feeling regularly at the moment and can only make me feel better over time, its a big stage in my life and im very worried and nervous of starting meds even tho they hopefully will make me feel better, i was wonderinmg if anyone had any information and knowledge of starting treatment and the positive effects it will hopefully have on my health, any info would be much appreciated, many thanks for taking the time to read this

Ac75088 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2011, 10:08:11 am »

Hello there, and welcome to the forums..I was also diagnosed in 2008..I started Atripla 2 months ago because my numbers started to slip and I also had a seperate bacterial infection that was doing a number oh my immune system and had to be hospitalized..My viral load was 250,000 when I started and CD4 close to 400..I was very nervous also before I started meds but the effects weren't that bad at all..Slight dizzness and fatigue in the mornings for the first week but that disappeared..my VL has dropped a lot in 2 months...Everyone responds differently but if u are on Atripla, your side effects shouldn't be too bad at all..Your dreams could be a lot of fun too hehe. Best of luck and keep us informed!

funkycj · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2011, 11:18:59 am »

were you having infections and getting poorly also ? its been such a long time of feeeling so poorly for them to decide meds will hopefully make me feel beter, its such a drawn out process, the side effects r the same as ones i get with current meds im on and they knock me out every evening dont seem to have crazy or wild dreams tho, altho i have just found out that atripla may not be best suited as i suffer with depression and am on meds for this aswell so am going to have a chat with the pharmacist when i go to get my meds and see what they suggest, i will let u know how my treatment is when i have started it next week, many thanx for the info in the meantime
funkycj

newt · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2011, 03:17:09 pm »

Hello welcome

Your CD4 count is "normal". So the meds will do good. HIV is not all CD4 counts, being ill and feeling tired is a good reason to start meds. And, yes, it can't be worse than a year in bed. :-)

Good luck

- matt

funkycj · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2011, 09:59:37 am »

god no im sick of been poorly and in bed theres only so much crappy day time tv, reading books n surfing the net you can do before it makes you feel more down and out than your feeling, im hoping that the meds will make me start feeling better in the next few weeks, n hoping for pride festival to be my 'coming out' party as ive not been out for a gud night for way to long, just cant wait to feel better and normal, wateva normal is, i shall keep posted on how the meds are and the effects on my health,
funkcj

Billy B · « **Reply #5 on:** July 08, 2011, 01:47:26 pm »

Quote from: funkycj on July 08, 2011, 09:59:37 am

god no im sick of been poorly and in bed theres only so much crappy day time tv, reading books n surfing the net you can do before it makes you feel more down and out than your feeling, im hoping that the meds will make me start feeling better in the next few weeks, n hoping for pride festival to be my 'coming out' party as ive not been out for a gud night for way to long, just cant wait to feel better and normal, wateva normal is, i shall keep posted on how the meds are and the effects on my health,
funkcj

Hello funky- HIV is kind of weird in the fact that some people have much lower cd4s than you and are not sick and feel fine. Some have higher than you and feel crappy. The Viral load can be all over the place as well. Most everyone I know personally who started meds feel so much better now (including myself). It may take a few months for everything to settle down but it is worth it. Just don't freak out if you have any unpleasant effects from the meds because they usually pass or can be controlled or you can switch to a different drug if one is causing a problem that you can't tolerate.
Me, I started with Atripla but it was not for me so I switched meds and started Isentress and Truvada and it has been smooth sailing.
Peace,
Billy

emeraldize · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2011, 01:53:54 pm »

Hey Funky,

Several of us are having good experiences with the regimen of Isentress/Truvada. You might want to look that up among the threads here using Search on the tool bar. You said it might be Atripla or something else you'll start next week. Just encouraging you to discuss all of the options -- pros/cons --- with your doctor.

It will be a grand day when you're reporting feeling better.

Em

Betelgeuse · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2011, 02:26:25 pm »

My CD4's went all the way down to 171 without having experienced a single AIDS or HIV defining illness.

If you are prone to that "worry" you mention in your original post, it's been suggested to me that Atripla is possibly a no-no.

I'm having great success with my Isentress/Truvada regimen.

funkycj · « **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2011, 09:45:58 am »

its been a crappy year this year, bloody viral infectiosn have taken it out of me so much, i cant wait to be feeling better , i have a list of questions and possible meds that wud suit my situation better atm, u guys of the forum are much more informative and helpful than my consultations with my specaialist but suppose they have tonnes of people to see daily and its hard to remember al the questions to ask plus they dont have first hand experience, so from now on i shall be taking my diary with any questions so i dont forget , thanx for the advice very much appreciated

emeraldize · « **Reply #9 on:** July 09, 2011, 11:45:01 am »

Before you head in for your appointment, don't be shy to ask us more questions to add to that diary. Have you searched the threads here for first-hand experience information? If not, it's a good resource, too, not just regarding I/T but other regimens as well. Best, Em

funkycj · « **Reply #10 on:** July 11, 2011, 10:19:44 am »

hey i have gone through the advice from some of the guys from the forum , i have questions prepared and reading poeples experience with combos etc has made me prepare beter and also get an idea of what to expect , many thanks for your advice and words of wisdom

funkycj · « **Reply #11 on:** July 14, 2011, 08:49:40 am »

day 3 of meds and feeling a bit better than past 2 days, the pharmacist was very helpful and gave me loads of information and leaflets to take away , it was a crappy day but feeling more optimistic today just want the meds to start doing there job and make me feel better and get on with life, the combonation i am on is 4 pills and just taking them once a day so it aint to bad, just feeling extremely tired, sick and the toilet seems to be my best friend more so than usual but i gather these side effects should go away soon i hope! thanx for the advice and information on this forum has been so helpful, i shall keep posted on how the meds are doing
funky

Ann · « **Reply #12 on:** July 14, 2011, 09:07:21 am »

Hi Funky,

I'm glad you were able to avoid the Atripla. But I'm curious, if I may ask, what, exactly, combo are you on? You mentioned in another thread that the four pill a day combo you were offered had to be taken "at dif intervals thru the day" but you're saying that you're able to take them all at once?

You may find the Sick to Your Stomach (Nausea & Diarrhea) lesson helpful. Good luck, I hope you soon get over the initial adjustment period and are feeling good soon.

Ann · « **Reply #13 on:** July 14, 2011, 10:02:27 am »

Quote from: funkycj on July 14, 2011, 09:01:27 am

hi i am in brighton so we have one of he best clinics in britain but its a very buizy clinic so app's dont always seem to last very long now i am taking meds i think that i shall always go there and make sure i go thriough everything that needs answering , the staff there are nice but i suppose its not nice going to the clinic and dont always go there with all the questions i want answering, but shall do in future, and since starting teh meds i will have more frequent apps so can make sure i dont miss out on any info i need, thanx for the advice anyways and its also good to know that when i go visit family i can go to the local hospital to pick up my prescription if need be,

and ann thanx so much for your advice i didnt start the atripla meds as i didnt want my depression to get any worse so i was put on the tenofoir, ritonavior, darunavir and emtricitabine combonation, its day 3 of taking me meds now, and today is a little better than the past 2 days, i just feel extremely tired, sick and very upset stomach more so than usual but not to much more than usual so i think this combination is the best at the moment to get my levels up and the viral infectiosn away then i can concentrate on getting my life back, which i cant wait for as this past year has been so crap , when you start meds if you suffer with depression i would suggest starting the combo i am on as it hasnt made my mood any worse than before , and the side effects arent to nice but not as bad as i though they would be so it seems that its ok at the moment , thanx very much for the advce adn shall keep posted on how the treatment is going
funky

Hi Funky, I quoted the post you made in that thread in the Mental Health forum here, because it's more in keeping with this thread. Us posting in the other thread about your hiv med issues was a bit of a hijack of that thread.

Tenofovir and emtricitabine are usually prescribed in one pill - Truvada. I'm surprised they didn't give you Truvada instead.

Ritonavir is also known as Norvir and darunavir is also known as Prezista. I'm letting you know because you more often see the people using the trade name of the meds instead of the generic names in these forums. Doctors in the UK normally call the meds by their generic names (such as the ones you used in your post), so it can get confusing for those of us who live in the UK.

You should be fine on this combo. Good luck with it!

funkycj · « **Reply #14 on:** July 15, 2011, 05:44:52 am »

thanx for the link i shall be getting healthier meals im trying to gage the best time to eat as i have to eat just before my meds but have found i have been throwin up after taking them so had to re take the dose yesterday which wasnt great at all, i was given anti sickness meds with my anti virals which kinda worked the first 2 days but didnt yesterday so i had to take double the dose when re taking my anti virals, i think my body is starting to take in the meds as i am feeling quite poorly today and had a bad night last night just hope this feeling subsides soon as it is worse than before i started the meds but hopefully wont last more than a few weeks, i suffer with diarohea anyway but i have noticed it has got worse the past few days and my appetite isnt the same but thats a good thing as i would like to loose some weight! i keep well hydrated with water as this is good for the body although i am struggling to keep liquid and food down so just gonig to ride this feeling and if it isnt any better when i go for my first bloods in a few weeks ill discusss it with the doctor

Ann · « **Reply #15 on:** July 15, 2011, 07:11:34 am »

Funky,

Unless you're throwing up immediately after taking your meds, you probably shouldn't be re-dosing. The general rule of thumb is if you can see the pills in what you've thrown up, then you need to re-dose. The pills will generally be dissolved and absorbed pretty quickly - in about a half hour or so. You should talk to your doctor ASAP if this continues to be a problem in the next day or so.

Many people here - particularly LTS - have had the issue of throwing up after taking meds, so hopefully a few of them will give you the benefit of their experience.

funkycj · « **Reply #16 on:** July 23, 2011, 08:07:55 am »

hey ann,
i have stopped vomitting after my dose it was bad for a few days and i had to re dose as i saw the pills come back up, i have found that eating a good hour before taking them lessens the nausea a little and stops me from being sick, but some of the other effects are getting me down, had my first bloods done this week so going to find out results in a few weeks time, the rash i have got is really itchy and irritating and no moisturizer seems to lessen the ithc and the toilet has become my new best friend but wahey sure these effects will lessen in few weeks i hope and then will start feeling 100% , i have noticed a bit of a difference in terms of how ill i was before i started the meds so it can only be a positive sign of things to come,
i am going to get some advice from LTS in terms of healthy lifestyle changes, foods and things that can not only increase my health and wellbeing but also lessen the side effects ,
thanx for advice and hope you are doing ok
funkycj

Ann · « **Reply #17 on:** July 23, 2011, 08:35:17 am »

Make sure you speak to your doctor when you see him/her after your labs about what's been going on. You might want to speak to him sooner - there are over the counter meds you can take such as benedryl that may ease the itching, but make sure you clear it with the doc first.

The Norvir/ritonavir is probably the most likely culprit causing diarrhea. If it doesn't subside, talk to your doctor about getting some Imodium/loperamide or changing to another hiv med that doesn't cause diarrhea. It's no fun having chronic diarrhea - I dealt with that for many years. You can get Imodium over the counter - even in most grocery shops where they stock paracetamol and cold remedies - but be sure you take it according to directions and let your doctor know you're taking it.

Hang in there - I've got my fingers crossed for you that you continue to experience an improvement all-round.

Billy B · « **Reply #18 on:** July 23, 2011, 11:21:59 am »

Quote from: funkycj on July 23, 2011, 08:07:55 am

hey ann,
i have stopped vomitting after my dose it was bad for a few days and i had to re dose as i saw the pills come back up, i have found that eating a good hour before taking them lessens the nausea a little and stops me from being sick, but some of the other effects are getting me down, had my first bloods done this week so going to find out results in a few weeks time, the rash i have got is really itchy and irritating and no moisturizer seems to lessen the ithc and the toilet has become my new best friend but wahey sure these effects will lessen in few weeks i hope and then will start feeling 100% , i have noticed a bit of a difference in terms of how ill i was before i started the meds so it can only be a positive sign of things to come,
i am going to get some advice from LTS in terms of healthy lifestyle changes, foods and things that can not only increase my health and wellbeing but also lessen the side effects ,
thanx for advice and hope you are doing ok
funkycj

Hello Funky- Staying away from dairy in these early days will help. Also fiber is a good thing to controll the trips to the toilet. Please get you some baby wipes so you don't get the red raw ass. I see that you are drinking water which is great.
Above all relax and remember that these meds are your friend. I would have never though that I could ever feel this good again. Although my meds have been easy concerning adverse side effects the healing of my body has from time to time caused a little discomfort.
Peace and please pray for the victims and their families in Norway,
Billy

Billy B · « **Reply #19 on:** July 26, 2011, 01:19:54 pm »

Funky- How are you feeling today?
Billy

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Author Topic: new to the forum starting meds, sick of been poorly (Read 7686 times)