Sustiva (efavirenz)

[em]

any one else been taking this since it was approved.

just got a new ID doc who asked me why I have been on the same regiment for so long ?

it has been about four or so ID docs who over the past three decades plus .  who's counting.   they keep retiring.    they get old too   

they stuck by this drug because of effectiveness?     

was taking novir and abacavir , after kidney stones was switched from norvir to dolutegravir. 


new drug I will be taking is  Triumeq   > I had been on 3tc in the past . back in around 1995 with AZT and then later with other drugs , have not taken it in about fifteen years .



my last Tcell cd4 , 991     undetectable viral load .


can not wait to finally be free of the sustiva dreams.   


I have been lucky only to loss a kidney from medication stones   

the fat gut and other HIV drug related things after thirty years of this HIV burden

things have gone well . gotten old as to be expected with the passage of time

 

I hope every one else is doing well , all the best




EM
 

[J.R.E.]

HI,..

Can't give any comment on Sustiva, as I was never on it. I was on the other Non-nuke Viramune (Nevirapine), and didn't have any issues.

I was Triumeq for a while, and then switched to Bictarvy. While my numbers were good on those medications, in my case, the weight gain in the gut area was unacceptable to me,  So I went back to Epzicom ( Once a day)and Viramune ( Twice a day).

 I also had a drop in Kidney function ( Egfr) on both Triumeq and Bictarvy which went back to normal function after switching back to Viramune and Epzicom. The drop in kidney function was obvious, with my ID doctor. So your doctor may want to monitor that as well.

Good luck with the new medication.


Ray

[MitchMiller]

I'm still on Sustiva... for about 20 years now.  The only change I made was in 2014, to switch from the 600mg dose to 400mg dose after the second Encore study demonstrated only 400mg was needed and was effective for the 96 week trial.

It's a shame so many were overdosed all those years.  The side effects, at least for me, are significantly less on the 400 mg dose vs the 600 mg dose.

And yes... when I went to an APRN in 2020, after being out of care for 13 years, the first thing said was that my regimen was too old and I needed to change.  I said no way, it works and side effects are minimal.  (Sustiva 400mg + Epzicom)

Given I have a strong family history of Alzheimers, I'm waiting for early 2023 when results should be posted for the clinical trial testing Sustiva to prevent Alzheimers.