Quad Pill/Stribild Questions

Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits > Questions About Treatment & Side Effects

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Ann:

--- Quote from: antibody on December 05, 2012, 04:33:24 PM ---My Doctor offered me a switch to Stribild. I've currently been taking Reyataz, Norvir, Truvada since 3/07 with no side effects. I think he thinks it would be easier to simplify with a 1 pill combo but I don't see 1 pill being a good enough reason to switch. I started treatment with Atripla and hated it. I felt like shit 24/7 and sleeping was miserable. I don't want to change what already works.

--- End quote ---

You don't have/need to change if you're happy and feeling good with what you're taking, and your labs are good (not just those numbers, all of them).

Personally, I don't see the benefit. They're both once-a-day combos - is a couple fewer pills to take at one time worth breaking in a new combo?

Another factor to consider is that Stribild is new and it's expensive. Think about how that may impact you as well.

Miss Philicia:
The way I'm reading it is the doctor was offering the option, not pushing it. Seems logical to me for the doctor to do so. Most patients don't pre-occupy themselves with dreary web forums to learn things about HIV, so they'd maybe not know of a new option and one to decrease pill load. And, of course, for many patients they prefer to take less pills if possible.

As far as cost, I can't clearly recall -- Stribild is more expensive than Atripla, but it may not be for those three pills antibody is taking when you add them up. I think when I compared it to the monthly cost of what I take it wasn't a big deal.

The bottom line is that I would prefer to have a doctor that presented options to me rather than one that did not.

WindySkies:
For me the cost is actually less then the Complera. Instead of $40 copay, it's only $20 for the Stribild. :o And with the Gilead copay assistance card, it's still $0 for me. Now I'll be able to eat a smaller breakfast instead of overfilling myself just to meet the 400 calorie requirement of the Complera.

Miss Philicia:
Is 400 calories that huge? I think a bowl (and I don't mean a large one) of cereal I eat is ~300. That's not even including the milk. What were you having to eat? A bagel with butter is 495.

jkinatl2:

--- Quote from: Miss Philicia on December 06, 2012, 01:51:07 AM ---Is 400 calories that huge? I think a bowl (and I don't mean a large one) of cereal I eat is ~300. That's not even including the milk. What were you having to eat? A bagel with butter is 495.

--- End quote ---

I tried to eat 400 calories today with my pills. I nearly gagged. It's an awful lot if you are not used to eating large meals. My Frosted Mini Wheats, a rather high calorie (but decent fiber!) cereal plus skin milk barely topped two hundred and fifty calories, and I had to force myself to finish it.

400 is a pretty hefty meal in my opinion. I rarely, if ever, take my pills (Isentress, Prezista, Norvir and Truvada) with that many calories. Usually if I manage to try, I get two thirds of the way there.

This is why I don't go to all you can eat buffets. I suck at binge eating.

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