POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: mecch on June 01, 2009, 07:02:30 pm
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Well I have been HIV+ a bit over a year and treated HART 10 months or so.
Been around long enough to know how much people sufferred with HIV and past medicines. So really not complaining.
Feeling pretty normal physically. Sometimes some fatigue. The drugs worked their miracle my immune system is totally rebounding. Good digestion, good strength, good sleep, etc etc.
But frankly, after I take my medicine, if I am really calm, quiet, and feel my body, I do feel, I dunno, drugged...
As I expect to be on this HAART many many years, so will I eventually forget what I used to feel like, and what I feel like now will just be normal???
When i go about my day, I feel normal.
When quiet and still, I feel drugged...
I guess I need to go further finding ways to feel relaxed and "natural" with these chems in my body. Now that HIV is controlled.
Can anyone relate??
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Hey Mecch,
Long term Evafirenz therapy can and does cause fatigue for many people.
One effective way of ruling out this cause is to change this component of your combo for a month and monitor side effect - is your doctor open to discussing this type of thing?
There are few long term studies that have looked at this, and the one's that have all recommend changing treatment to reverse the side effects.
take care
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I don't know if it helps to classify things....
In my mind, I think in terms of Inflamatory related reactions, metobolic reactions, digestive reactions.... etc.
In this case, this feeling you have...
And I notice your no longer on Sustiva...
I can relate that you feel something in you. But what is that feeling? Tired? Vibrating? Tingling? Dullness?
That feeling can be indicators of many things. But what. How can we help?
Sometimes we can manage some of the side effects of the meds with supplements. I wonder if antioxidents would be of any value. NAC, Acety-l-carnitine, Alpha Lopaic Acid. Truvada is know as possibly lowering Vitamine D. Also that Truvada can have an "effect on your kidney's.
If your energy is low, maybe a Vitamin B supplement. Are you drinking enough fluids?
Do you smoke? If you do, stop and see how you feel.
Do you drink alcohol product too much? If you do stop and see how you feel.
Do you drink enough water?
If you are having vascular effects, maybe you need to exercise if your not.
If the feeling is emanating from your gut.
Digestive routine may be of help. Glutamine (I use bulk glutamine 5 grams per day mixed with my) Psyllium Fiber Drink. And Yogurt.
Think about what your eating, and if there are things you can change and see if that helps.
And talk to you doctor. Maybe that is a indicator of something.... and talk to him/her if you are going to consider supplementation. (especially with isentress, only because its newer and less may be know about interaction with supps).
Those are the things I'd be thinking of.
As a person who was being run down by HIV and feeling like crap, I'm alot happier at day 11 on treatment. But in 10 months, I might have the same observation. Please share what you are doing, and what your doctor says.
Cheers!
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Feel buzzed.
I take anti-oxidants, though I intend to stop when I exercise more intensively this summer. I read research that too many supplements of anti-oxidants prevent your natural mechanisms from doing their good work.
Don't smoke. Drink moderate and mostly bio. Plenty of fluids. Digestion is perfect.
Just feel buzzed. Vibrating - tingling yeah. Only when resting.
Oh well, things could be worse.
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definitely talk to the doc...
not as something urgent per see,
But I was advised that buzzed tingle feeling is a noted side effect.
What that indicates, I just don't know. So I won't speculate.
When I started supplements, attempting to counter act the effects of HIV. (I had digestive issues and liver issues). I went for the so called "super antioxidents" that have been identified as possible counter agents to these effects.
NAC, Acetyl-l-carnintine, Alpha Lipoic Acid.
I only use a multi for E and C, but I do take a B supp.
The claim is, and I'll leave it as a claim, that these anti ox's can offset the effects of HIV and they may also offset the effects of meds.
For example, there are studies that show that Acety-l-Carnintine can relieve the effects of Med or HIV cause neuropathy. This study was released as news on AIDS MEDS in fact.
Why am I saying this....
Studies on people who are not HIV positive need to be carefully considered in relation to our condition of being HIV positive and on Meds. The study suggested that large dose of E and C were not seen as beneficial and potentially may interact somewhat unfavorably in the exercise process.
But E and C, from my point of view, have long been discredited as a anti oxidant that has much value. And mega dosing of these truly are not something folks should be thinking about.
I don't know what the effects are for the HIV related anti ox's, but its just that. We don't know. But if we are taking something as I am as a preventative or to deal with the metabolic effects of HIV or MEDS, then I'm not so sure I would look at this exercise and anti oxident study and link that to what I think I need to deal with Med toxicity or HIV...
Studies of "normal" people are not really for us. While I want to be unstigmatized and equal, I can't consider myself to be in that world - for study purposes, of Normal/Average People....
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Thanks risred.
I take nac, carnintine, lipoic, etc.. dont take big doses of vitamins, however.
By the way, the big shot HIV specialist here says the above are more or less useless. I take em anyway.
In the end, I think drugs buzz me. Its always been like that, strong reactions to drugs. I can only imagine these drugs are strong!
We'll see what happens in a few years...
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I often wonder if there are those of us for whom normal dosing is more than some of us need. Apparently, or in general, they can't or won't test for concentration level in the body.
When I first started the NAC, Alpha and Acetly, I also felt buzzed, but not like your describing. Just a mild feeling.
And when a doctor says something about supplements, well, proof is simply necessary. I know there has been a study on Neuropathy and ALC, and I hear of people who use it to get relief.
So I don't know why the view is, they do nothing.
Maybe they don't reduce VL or boost CD4, but what about things like Nueropathy?
But like you said. I take them anyways, can't say for sure what their value is.