3 month holiday?

[PozBrian]

I have a friend who for various reasons, went off Atripla for 3 months after having been on it long enough to become undetectable. He finally is getting on ADAP and saw a doctor this past week and started Atripla again. Obviously a lot of blood work was done. It isn't clear if resistance testing was done. I asked him what the doctor said about such a long time with out meds then starting up with the same one again. The doctor responded essentially lets try it and see what happens. That sounds more cavalier than what it probably really was, though I wasn't there.

Anyone know how successful atripla will be for him a second time after so long a break?

[Ann]

It all depends on whether or not he became resistant to the Sustiva portion of Atripla when he quit the meds all at once - and it's possible he did. He should have continued taking Truvada (a two-med combo pill containing the other two meds in Atripla) for a short period of time - I forget how long, exactly. Sustiva stays in the body for longer than the other meds and this can give the virus a chance to mutate around it.

His doctor really should have ordered a resistance test.

[PozBrian]

Well, if he could have continued on just Truvada, he could have continued on Atripla. The resistance test could have been done. I just don't know for certain that it had, nor does he, but "a lot" of tubes were taken. We're hoping for the best.

[Ann]

He would have only had to continue with Truvada for a couple days. I forget how many, exactly, but it's not many.

Ah, but now that I re-read your first post, I take it he stopped Atripla because he didn't have access to meds due to financial reasons? If I'm reading that right (the reference to "finally" getting on ADAP) well, that sucks. I'm hoping for the best too.

[PozBrian]

... I take it he stopped Atripla because he didn't have access to meds due to financial reasons?

That's pretty much it. Despite my encouragement to get started on setting up medical care after moving, he didn't do anything until this past week. I had even provided him some info from a local ASO. He is a friend, and I have and will help when I can, but still his own person and needs to do things for himself.

[Jeff G]

I was on sustiva / truvada and took about year long break . I was able to restart the same combo without resistance issues .

Its kind of off topic from the Op's issue but I do want to point out to anyone who may read this and think it may be OK to have a drug holiday on a whim that it was really bad mistake for me to do what I did .

I wound up back in chemotherapy for Kaposi Sarcoma after years of having it under control . It took my years to get my CD4 count back up also .

[Ann]

This may be a good place to mention that anyone on Atripla/Sustiva who is facing discontinuing the meds due to a financial (or any) problem should speak to their doctor. The doctor (or even someone at their ASO) may be able to supply the two or three Truvada tablets that would allow the patient to discontinue the combo without the threat of possible Sustiva resistance hanging over them. If you've got that type of financial problems, stress over resistance is the last thing you need.