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Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: 0608 on February 19, 2013, 02:25:40 pm

Title: Resistance to Truvada = Stribild not possible?
Post by: 0608 on February 19, 2013, 02:25:40 pm

Hi, guys.  I wanted to check something.  If one were to have developed resitance to Truvada, would he or she then be unable to start taking Stribild?  It seemed logical that the answer would be yes because Truvada is a component of Stribild from my understanding, but I wanted to make sure.  Another person asked this very question on another forum, and I wanted to find the answer.  Thanks!

Title: Re: Resistance to Truvada = Stribild not possible?
Post by: oksikoko on February 21, 2013, 02:44:00 am

Quote from: 0608 on February 19, 2013, 02:25:40 pm

Hi, guys.  I wanted to check something.  If one were to have developed resitance to Truvada, would he or she then be unable to start taking Stribild?  It seemed logical that the answer would be yes because Truvada is a component of Stribild from my understanding, but I wanted to make sure.  Another person asked this very question on another forum, and I wanted to find the answer.  Thanks!

Short answer - talk to your doctor.

Longer answer (and I'd like someone more knowledgeable on resistance to chime in, please):

The reason we take combinations is because one drug holds some of the virus at bay and another drug holds other versions of the virus at bay. By holding the eco-system of viruses (virii) down from multiple angles, we're able to keep it generally suppressed in the host (me and you).

Truvada has two NRTIs. There have been great results by combining it with an NNRTI (with Sustiva it's called Atripla, with Edurant it's called Complera). Combine it with the II elvitegravir (plus the booster cobicistat) and it's called Stribild.

It may be that the addition of the elvitegravir makes the other components viable in the sense that whatever Truvada can't hold back, elvitegravir will and whatever elvitegravir can't hold back, the Truvada will cover. So, even though you can't take Truvada alone, Truvada *plus* something else would be effective. It also may be that this is poppycock.

Can anyone shed light on this in general terms? Is my understanding theoretically accurate even if not in every instance?