POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: Kevin973 on June 15, 2007, 02:59:52 pm
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Hi everyone,
Its been 82 days on Atripla and I feel very good and the labs are great my CD4 went from 229 to 279 in 1 month and from 279 to 472 in 2 Months the viral load was 736 the first Month but doc didn't give me the new numbers over the phone, my next labs is July 18 and I will have a better update with percentage and viral load... Doc is confident that I will have a higher CD4 COUNT and undectectable viral load next visit....
so back to the feel good, but my only issue with this drug is the itchy skin :'(.... I can't take it anymore.. my skin gets very itchy after I take my Atripla.... this never happen before I started taking this drug, so I know its the Atripla causing the itching. This started during week#1 on the drug and doc said it will get better but its the only side effect that really causes a problem for me, the Dreams are great and the drunk feel goes away and I have no more diarrhea ;D.... and my weight is back(I am eating way too much now)... so doc told me to take Benadryl but that wasn't working so I called him yesterday and he put be on Hydroxyzine HCL 25MG....this green little pill... haven't taken it yet cause the drug causes drowsiness and I have to drive home from work...
so my question is.... Does anyone on this board suffer from itchy skin after taking Atripla...if so please share your experience or if you have some helpful advice on how to deal with this side effect.... please help :-[ I'm scratching myself to death.....
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i had to use lots of lotion. me thinks the sustiva drys out the skin. puts the lotion on the skin or it gets the hose.
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I had a rash about four weeks after starting Sustiva/Truvada for which I took benedryl (not full dose). It helped eliminate the dry skin and the itchiness. I would also look at other environmental factors like soap, shampoo, detergent, etc. since that could be causing some type of allergic reaction.
I wouldn't wait until July if possible get in to see the doctor now to show what's up if it's bothering you.
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Now on my fourth bottle of Atripla and other than one vivid dream no problems...I did have one little spot of rash on my chest about the size of a quarter but it didnt itch and went away in a few days.
The drug so far has been no problem and will have my next labs taken the first week of July to see if everything remained the same or if my t cells went up or not...hopefully they went up ...I have always been in the 6 to 800 range and undetectable.
I really hate reading about everyone who has all these side affects and feel somewhat guilty that I have some kind of wierd system that has no problem accepting any of the drugs I have been on. The only reason that i have actually made changes, is ease of taking the meds and fewer of them.
Good luck to everyone and I hope any side affects you have go away soon..
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How do you feel in the mornings, Pilot?
..first one here after taking Atripla last night..
thanks for your help..Mike
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Been on Atripla for about 4 months and am now undetectable with a CD4 of 800, the itch skin was not too bad for me, maybe because I use lotion so often but I did find that I was using more lotion, so I began using Baby Oil Gel as soon as I get out of the shower instead of drying off with a towel I put the Baby Oil on the water and oil combine to give my skin the extra moisture it needs, also instead of taking really HOT showers I started taking milder showers.
Good luck hope this helps
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Just started it one week ago and dry mouth and headaches. A little dizzy at first. What I need to find out if there is any assistance in helping with Co-Pays for this drug. My Co-Pay is 256.00 a month. I am afaraid my company may start to ask questions soon.
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hey PCDman;
got ur email couldn't reply; but to answer your question the first night is horrible at least for me the dreams were wicked vivid, but after about a day or two they subsided as for the other symptoms haven't had any but the dry skin which I use the baby oil for.
keep a diary of your symptoms if you are a smoker, STOP, if you are not eating right START and you have to DRINK water like a fish, keeps you hydrated and able to digest the med better.
hope this helps
nunii
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just finishing my first month of atripla, my scalp is real itchy and my beard/jawline...is that the same for anyone else? it's not bad enough, but luckily work in a crazy office that doesn't notice my itchiness....i tend to take hot hot hot showers to relax, maybe i should back off a bit
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i tend to take hot hot hot showers to relax, maybe i should back off a bit
Hot showers really drive the natual oils out of your skin. Stop taking them.
Sustiva isn't drying your skin as much as it is inducing a histamine reaction from your body. Benadryl will counteract this, though it may make you feel even more stoned for the first couple of hits