What now?

[bmancanfly]

My CD4 was 248,  VL 100,000+.   I started Atripla on Feb 1.  its been almost seven weeks and I feel aweful.  Extremely fatigued, possibly depressed or foggy or something - but I'm just not myself.  No energy, physically or mentally.  Ironically I seem to sleep "better" or at least more on Atripla than I did before.

I see my doc with my first blood work results on the 24th but I really don't care how well these drugs are working if this is how I'm gonna feel.

Is it too soon to give up hope for this combo?  Can things improve this far into treatment?

Any suggestions about a different combo to discuss with my doc on the 24th.

[BT65]

You should watch what you eat two hours before taking it.  If you're eating anything in it that's even slightly high-fat, you're going to feel bad. 

[bmancanfly]

thanks for your reply. 
I have been waiting 3 hours after eating before taking my nighttime horse pill.  Yet the problems still persist.

I think at this point I'm looking at other options.

[BT65]

And that certainly is alright.  Some people (myself included) cannot tolerate the side effects.

[aztecan]

I had the same issue with Sustiva as you seem to be having.

I have a guideline I set for myself many years ago when I started meds. I will give any medication eight weeks to settle down in my system. If, after eight weeks, the problems persist, I talk to my doctor about it.

This was your first regimen, right? There are many options out there. Have you had a resistance test done, in case you decide to switch to something else?

Your next step will most likely be to a PI based regimen. There are some that are once-a-day (Reyataz with a Norvir boost and Truvada).

There are also quite a few others.

When I took Sustiva (which is part of Atripla), My initial side effects included feeling drunk, hallucinations, depression and that awful foggy feeling.

My problem was the drunk/hallucination part subsided, but the depression and fogginess did not. So, I switched.

I would certainly talk to your doc about this and see what he/she says.

HUGS,

Mark

[ARMANDO]

i just got my labs  results to day and although i am still indectectable ,my cell ct dropped from 288 to218.HE  wants to do a genotype test. this test  was done  about 2 yrs ago and it showed that i had become resisitant to alot of the drugs.i am presently on lexiva,norvir and truvada.this is the first regiment that has brought me be UNDECTECTABLE!!my cell cout has never gone above 300. my doctor says that there are alot of new drugs that have just come out but i am really scared to try anything new.i have experienced some really serious side effects with some of the other drugs and i'm really  terrified to try anything new!!should i really be worried about my recent low cell count even though i remain undectectable?

[BT65]

CD4s can vary from test to test.  What you want to look for is a trend over the next couple labs.  People I know who are on the newer meds, by the way, have nothing but good to say about them.

[bmancanfly]

i just got my labs  results to day and although i am still indectectable ,my cell ct dropped from 288 to218.HE  wants to do a genotype test. this test  was done  about 2 yrs ago and it showed that i had become resisitant to alot of the drugs.i am presently on lexiva,norvir and truvada.this is the first regiment that has brought me be UNDECTECTABLE!!my cell cout has never gone above 300. my doctor says that there are alot of new drugs that have just come out but i am really scared to try anything new.i have experienced some really serious side effects with some of the other drugs and i'm really  terrified to try anything new!!should i really be worried about my recent low cell count even though i remain undectectable?

I'm not much of an internet wiz but is this what they mean "hijacking a thread"

Anyway thanks aztecan, and betty I'll see what my doc says next week.  It's kind of difficult when the symptoms are not really tangible (i.e. G.I stuff or vomitimg).  I don't think docs take the depression thing as seriously.

[BT65]

Bmancanfly, sometimes people just come out with their own stuff.  I wouldn't consider that hijacking; rather, someone just coming to grips with things in their own way.

[J.R.E.]

Talk to your doctor, and see what other possibilities in meds you have an option to take. Personally, if it was me, I would try to stick it out a little longer. I would try to go at least 12 weeks. I once tried AZT,for about a month, and found that I couldn't possibly work full time and take this drug. It was pretty difficult to function, and I am not one that ususally gets knocked down that easily.

So,....talk to your doctor



Things will work out------Ray

[bmancanfly]

Bmancanfly, sometimes people just come out with their own stuff.  I wouldn't consider that hijacking; rather, someone just coming to grips with things in their own way.

Lack of sleep and Sustiva induced depression have made me a little crabby.  No offense intended - or taken.
Peace.

[bmancanfly]

Well, I finally got my lab results after being on Atripla for one month.
Starting CD4 246/18%  one month afer starting Atripla  CD4 289/19%, not as good as I had hoped but good.
Starting VL 255,000 one month after starting Atripla VL 155 , much better than I could have hoped.

Still feeling pretty crappy though.  But with results like this I'm hesitant to change.  My doc recommended switching out the Sustiva for Viramune.  He never mentioned Reyataz or any other P.I.    I don't know why, and at the time I didn't think to ask him.  It seems that Reyataz has become very popular but I'm not sure which one (Viramune or Reyataz) will work better.

I'm not convinced sticking it out any longer will improve things but I'm very impressed with these results on Atripla.

[BT65]

Well bman, the decision is, of course, yours and yours alone.  You just have to weight out the positives and negatives and see which one weighs heavier.  Good luck with all that sweetie.