Atripla, Anxiety and Short of Breath

[buginme2]

I've been on Atripla for just over a month and so far its been going rather well. I feel I have tolerated it ok.  I had a rash last week but it only lasted one day and wasnt that bad.  Yesterday I felt a little short of breath, today it was much worse.  I rushed to the doctor thinking the wort (pcp, Heart issue, etc). After the exam doctor said it appeared to be anxiety?  Is this common?  Ive never had anxiety before and its weird to me that axiety could cause you to be short of breath

[Matty the Damned]

Bugsy,

Shortness of breath is commonly experienced by those who have anxiety related panic attacks. Atripla is known to cause mental health problems as a side effect in a proportion of people who take it so there could be a relationship there.

Alternatively you may just be the highly-strung sort who is prone to these things and HIV is exacerbating your problems.

MtD

[odyssey]

Bug-

I've never taken Atripla, but I do suffer from a couple different forms of anxiety, so I thought I'd toss my proverbial hat in the ring and comment. Yes, anxiety can most definitely make you feel short of breath. It has something to do with the chemicals your body releases when you start to feel anxious that trigger the fight or flight response and this can make your chest feel tight and short of breath.

Sir Matty the Brilliant is absolutely correct about Atripla causing psychiatric issues. Probably more so than any other HIV med, Atripla can either cause new psych symptoms in people that have never had them or exacerbate psych symptoms in those people who already have them.

If your anxiety/shortness of breath continues, I'd definitely keep mentioning it to your doctor as there might be a medication he/she can prescribe to help reduce this effect. Alternatively, you might want to learn some relaxation techniques to help bring your arousal (anxiety) level down when you start feeling short of breath. As a last resort, you and your doctor could always discuss switching to something else other than Atripla.

Best wishes Bug!

odyssey

[buginme2]

Thanks, ive never had anything like this before.  I dont feel anxious.  I was prescribed xanax.  Hopefully that will work.   Thanks for the info guys. 

[odyssey]

I take extended release xanax (well the generic version) twice a day to help manage my anxiety disorders. It works really well. I also have the rapid release stuff for when I'm having panic attacks and such and need an extra boost. It can be really helpful, just be sure not to abuse it. Its a benzodiazepine, and can be addictive if you use it in an abuse manner. So don't go selling it on the street either

[Matty the Damned]

Thanks, ive never had anything like this before.  I dont feel anxious.  I was prescribed xanax.  Hopefully that will work.   Thanks for the info guys. 

Yeah Xanax is good. If you end up taking it regularly for an extended period, don't stop taking it suddenly. That can cause benzodiazepine withdrawal, which is totally fucked.

Don't worry about getting hooked, if your doctor monitors your usage carefully being weaned off it when you want to stop is fairly straightforward.

Take care with the booze too - that can magnify the effect of the pills.

MtD

[phildinftlaudy]

Hey Bug -
Sorry to hear about the anxiety issues - but glad to hear that you are taking care of them with the assist of your doctor.

Matty is right about the Xanax - while they work great, you will definitely want to be extremely careful of drinking alcohol if you are taking them.

Before I was diagnosed, I took some Xanax (given to me by a "friend") due to some stress I was going through.  I drank alcohol the same evening and didn't remember how many I had taken.  I ended up taking all 3 that I had been given within a 6 hour period.  I completely blacked out. 

Ended up driving to work the next morning (after my parents called the police to check on me because I had not shown up for work and they were concerned about me) - don't remember the drive there - and when I arrived, I had a meeting and boss said I was incoherent, slurring my words, etc.  I explained what had happened - but still ended up losing my job at the time over the whole incident. 

Probably too much info above - but felt it important to let you know the importance of avoiding alcohol and making sure that you take the correct dosage as prescribed.

Hope they work for you.  Myself --- I won't mess with them again.... if I have anxiety, my doctor will have to give me an alternative medicine.

[Common_ground]

First month I experienced shortness of breath, some body aches and fatigue, just as you describes it Bugsy. I also had something that could have been a panic attack. Now 1 month in treatment on the same combo most seems back to normal, I also realized that with time my sleep has improved as well.