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Author Topic: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating  (Read 8994 times)

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Offline GrlPozX

  • Member
  • Posts: 21
Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« on: August 26, 2013, 08:37:18 pm »
Hi,

I am newly diagnosed. I started my meds 2 days ago. Im on Stribild. My doc says my anxiety is not from the meds. I'm dealing with major anxiety.. Which I have a history of. Also, I'm having a REALLY hard time eating. How can I get through this? I'm lightheaded, dizzy, scared. Has anyone else experienced this and if so, how did you cope?

Offline tednlou2

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,730
Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2013, 12:35:31 am »
Sorry to hear about the anxiety.  I deal with it, too.  Anxiety can cause all sorts of physical things, as you know.  I was recently at a crowded event, which made my anxiety worse.  I had this feeling like I was on a boat, and like my legs were going to give out.  Of course, I began worrying I had blood sugar issues, or something else.  I think it was just the anxiety, which can raise blood pressure and mess with blood sugar.

If it is causing you to not be able to eat much, then that will obviously mess with your glucose levels.  What have you done about your anxiety?  Are you taking depression meds or anxiety meds?  Therapy?  These are the ways I'm coping.  All those things, and I also take a beta-blocker, which I think helps a lot.  But, for me, they have definitely made the anxiety better, but have not totally eliminated it. 

All the best,

Ted

Offline BT65

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Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2013, 04:26:13 am »
I've had anxiety/panic for years.  I've learned to talk myself through it.  I am on an anti-depressant, but do not take any benzo's.  I used to (take benzo's).   Sometimes when I am driving the anxiety is so bad I'll have to pull over for a minute.  Also when I'm grocery shopping, I get bad anxiety/panic.  That's when I talk myself through the attack.

I'm on Stribild and have found it does not worsen the anxiety.  I would imagine your anxiety is caused by other feelings, not the Stribild, though of course I am not a doctor.  There is something called cognitive behavioral therapy that really does work with anxiety.  The idea is changing thought patterns; because if you change the thought, you change the situation.  I would find a therapist that knows how to do this.  It really does make a difference!
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Offline Miss Philicia

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Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2013, 11:01:21 am »
Like Betty, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder 12 years ago. I also took benzos for it which I found helpful, but they also are addictive so they are perhaps not given out so much these days. It is far better to learn skills through cognitive behavioral therapy that allow you to somewhat control the issue when anxiety kicks in. And yes, like you when I have bad periods of prolonged anxiety (though it doesn't happen to me any longer) my appetite decreases greatly.

I'm not a doctor and don't want to act like one, but if you have a discussion with your doctor about this issue as you should, make sure you mention the appetite aspect and gently inquire if a medication like Remeron (mirtazapine) would be helpful. It's not a benzo class medication, and is often used for anxiety disorder in conjunction with a suppressed appetite. I took it for years and only stopped when it made me gain too much weight. If you do go on this make sure to discuss how to taper off of it because stopping cold turkey will cause withdrawal issues.
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Offline oksikoko

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  • Posts: 690
  • Writing the congressman again
Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2013, 07:14:19 pm »
Hi,

I am newly diagnosed. I started my meds 2 days ago. Im on Stribild. My doc says my anxiety is not from the meds. I'm dealing with major anxiety.. Which I have a history of. Also, I'm having a REALLY hard time eating. How can I get through this? I'm lightheaded, dizzy, scared. Has anyone else experienced this and if so, how did you cope?

It's not clear if you're saying you're too anxious to eat or that you have no appetite because of Stribild. Others have talked about the anxiety, so I'll put it aside.

I've had little to no appetite since starting Stribild, though I believe it's a coincidence. More importantly, how do I cope with that and is it helpful to you?

I just gave up on the idea of "meals" and now I eat a handful of this or a handful of that throughout the day. I try to make the handfuls something "healthy" like dried fruits and nuts and not peppermint patties, which are delicious. The closest thing coming to a meal that I can stand thinking about eating is tiramisu, but I mean, there's bread and milk and all kinds of good stuff in there.

To avoid long-term nutritional deficits, try eating smaller portions of whatever natural food you can stomach for now: apples, applesauce, raisins, dates, figs, walnuts, whatever. It's OK to miss a few nutrients here and there, but you want to keep something in your system while you work this out. Good luck!
Code: [Select]
2014-11-14: CD4 Wars Episode II: Return of the Stribild (released in Europe as Stribild II: Werewolf Bitch)
2014-11-06:                ☣ VL (→) 12,627      ☣ CD4 (→) 639
2014-??-??: off treatment  ☣ VL (?)              ☣ CD4 (?)
2013-10-03:                ☣ VL (=) undetectable ☣ CD4 (+) 1105
2013-05-23:                ☣ VL (=) undetectable ☣ CD4 (-) 945
2013-02-25:                ☣ VL (-) undetectable ☣ CD4 (+) 1123
2012-12-16: Enter Stribild
2012-11-20: HIV+           ☣ VL (→) 132,683      ☣ CD4 (→) 920
2012-04-01: HIV-
Dates in this signature file conform to ISO 8601. ;-)

If no one complains, nothing will ever change.

Offline GrlPozX

  • Member
  • Posts: 21
Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2013, 10:17:42 pm »
Here's a little more of my history. My husband and I got pregnant in May.. After our routine blood work is when I found out about my being positive. My husband tested ASAP and found he was positive too. Not all but 2 weeks later we lost baby and I had to have a minor surgery. I did meet with a psychiatrist today, and he believes I'm still coping with the loss physically and emotionally on top of all this. My levels are bad but I've already started my meds and hope they become better sooner than later. He started me on Lexapro (which I'm familiar with) and Kolatopin as needed. To deal with my anxiety. I was told by my nurse today.. If I can't get solid foods in Ensure was the next best thing. I'm hoping it helps cause honestly I don't think I've had any side affects from the Stribild at all and if that's the case that would be wonderful!

I'm just looking to reach out to others in similar situations to talk to. I have limited support around me.. My husband is AMAZING! But it just sometimes helps to talk to others. Know what I mean? 

Offline oksikoko

  • Member
  • Posts: 690
  • Writing the congressman again
Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2013, 10:55:50 pm »
That's a rough patch you've been through recently. It's no wonder your appetite is off. Sorry you've been dealing with so much.

Stribild is great medicine with relatively few side effects - some people have none. It's important to eat and stay hydrated, though, just as a matter of course. The Stribild will kick in and bring your viral load down, but your body still needs calories to fight the virus until it does. It's estimated that we need 10% more calories just to maintain our weight when untreated. That's how much energy we're burning up just fighting HIV!

Also, and I've been chided about this, Stribild works better if you take it with a moderate amount of fat. How do you feel about peanut butter? Would you be able to take a spoonful with your pill?

I've taken Lexapro. It wasn't for me, but you said you're familiar with it. I suppose you know it can increase your anxiety before your blood plasma levels stabilize, so if you've already started it, that might explain any recent new jitters. Normal people level out and it starts working at around 6 weeks, I think. People like me go crazy manic on it (when mis-diagnosed), but that's another story. ;)

So, are you having trouble swallowing or just don't feel like eating in general or having trouble keeping things down? Sorry for all the questions, but there are so many ways of not eating. Haha. The nurse's idea was a good one - if nothing else just to get some calories in you.

You've come to a good place for support. There are a lot of good people on here, even some who have similar stories to yours. Some people just pop in and out, though, so it might be a while before they would see your post.
Code: [Select]
2014-11-14: CD4 Wars Episode II: Return of the Stribild (released in Europe as Stribild II: Werewolf Bitch)
2014-11-06:                ☣ VL (→) 12,627      ☣ CD4 (→) 639
2014-??-??: off treatment  ☣ VL (?)              ☣ CD4 (?)
2013-10-03:                ☣ VL (=) undetectable ☣ CD4 (+) 1105
2013-05-23:                ☣ VL (=) undetectable ☣ CD4 (-) 945
2013-02-25:                ☣ VL (-) undetectable ☣ CD4 (+) 1123
2012-12-16: Enter Stribild
2012-11-20: HIV+           ☣ VL (→) 132,683      ☣ CD4 (→) 920
2012-04-01: HIV-
Dates in this signature file conform to ISO 8601. ;-)

If no one complains, nothing will ever change.

Offline GrlPozX

  • Member
  • Posts: 21
Re: Stribild, Anxiety and Eating
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2013, 11:23:15 pm »
I find it easier to eat liquididy foods. It's weird. When I eat solid.. I start to chew and then it's hard to swallow. Like its gonna make me sick.  It's so weird. I like peanut butter. That's a great idea.  I really appreciate the advise. Hopefully getting my anxiety under control will help me pick up on my eating. One can only hope.

 


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