Author Topic: my new sustiva.. (switch from kaletra) (Read 8749 times)

schnitzer · « **on:** February 03, 2007, 12:42:12 pm »

oka. i'm taking sustiva for the first time. .
i was previously taking kaletra + truvada. . my doc wanted to do the switch b/c my TDM levels weren't so great. and he didn't want to increase the dose for kaletra. so he switched me to sustiva.

i took it last night at midnight.. it's now 930am and i feel like shit right now..... thank goodness it's a weekend but how am i supposted to function normally day to day? i feel like i have a hang-over right now..... how am i supposed to goto work if this was monday? and i did have some vivid flashbacks.. they weren't nightmares just regular day-to-day stuff i always think about.. like i thought i was signing a piece of paper. (as long as i don't dream of going to the washroom is ok.. . ) . that flashback seemed so real wasn't sure if i was awake or not. . anyways.. i just want to rant.. thanks..

FiercenBed · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2007, 05:10:49 pm »

dude....im in the same boat. currently on kaletra & truvada. docs increased it to fricken 6 a day. still wont suppress. doc sez i need something to break the 'blood brain barrier'. which is something sustivia is suppose to do. iv got the bottle hiding in the drawer im scared to death of it. but @ the end of the day iv gota do it. doc sez all the hard core side effects fade after a couple of weeks. so a favor keep me posted to how it goes......hang in there!

u might wanna check w/ some atripla folks.....itz got sustiva in it.

blondbeauty · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2007, 07:29:43 am »

That is normal in the first days of treatment with Sustiva. On my first night with Sustiva I could not even walk. The next morning I couldn´t drive but I did it putting my life in danger to go to the gym. The drunk feeling lasted till 19.00 (5 hours before my next dose). A few days later side effects dissapeared.
Now I get the druk effect from time to time and only if I take it with greasy food.
The good part of Sustiva is that it makes me sleep deeply as I never did before. I wake up rested and full of energy. It is the best sleeping pill ever!

sunflower99 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2007, 07:58:41 am »

I started sustiva 10 days ago, and i think it will get better! The first night I was terrified mostly because of everything Ive read about it and didnt know if I was asleep or awake. But nowadays I take it around 9pm and sleeps very well no weird dreams or anything. I also try not to eat anything 2-3 hours before I take it. Last night I had a heavy greasy meal though around 2 hours before taking the pill and got "very drunk" but this morning ok again. If you can - try to take sustiva earlier than midnight? The weird dream/awake? feeling dissappeard after 2 nights for me. Now it works just like a good sleeping pill. I was mostly worried about being "drunk" and having to take care of my young child who has no patience with a dizzy mom in the night or the morning, BUT it works. And I think its getting better and better.

Take Care!

budndallastx · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2007, 10:38:20 am »

My first night on Sustiva was the absolute worst but it got better by the third day. I discovered caffiene helps in the morning getting over the "hungover" feeling. I've been on Sustiva now for two months with the morning problems being gone. The only advice I can give is to make sure you take it on an empty stomach before bedtime. Your body is adjusting to this medicine so be patient and let it do its thing.

For me, the dreams will come and go but nothing really outragious.

schnitzer · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2007, 11:51:22 am »

okay, saturday night, i took the magic pill at 10pm this time.. i woke up at around 1pm with this amazing high. which almost felt like i was on ecstasy.. i got up and went for the bathroom. as i make my way down the hallway to the washroom, it felt like i was on a bumpy boat ride being tossed left and right.. even standing still, the narrow hallway looked like it's tossing by itself!

i made my way back to bed and decided to play some tunes just for fun, i put on some mario picotto for the hell of it.. .(with headphones)

i was in my own little trance and i fell asleep.. last night i was dreamed of going on a road trip across canada. weird.......... this morning.. my hang over was not as bad as last night.. just a little bit.

*edit*. just a few hours later i started feeling hung over and dizzy again..... i had chicken stir-fry w/ rice at round 7pm. . is that considered fattening? how am i going to work tomorrow? i start 9am sharp.. i'm so getting fired.....

ajm_ldn · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:33:23 pm »

Man, I hate it when I'm typing on here and hit the wrong button and lose everything I wrote! Grrrr!

Anyway, I had written that I started on a Fri night too, about 10 days ago, with Sustiva. I went to bed straight away and had no issues except dizziness when hitting the can for a midnight piss. Okay, maybe a bit agitated but right back to sleep after only a tiny bit of tossing and turning. After about 5 days of taking it at 22:30, in bed by 23:00 and up by 6AM, almost no residual dizziness at all. I've been sleeping better and more soundly since starting Sustiva, which is quite cool. I noticed, however, this weekend I was kinda dozy during the day despite 7 - 8 hours of sleep each night. I hope it's just me catching up on a long built-up sleep deficit and just de-stressing a bit! Plus my room was toasty warm from the heating being on. Way more physical energy than before the meds tho.

Also, you took it the second night 22 hours after your first dose, so maybe that's why it hit ya a bit the second night/day? Just my amateur guess/hunch. lol

Okay, so try not to stress. Best just give it time to adjust. It seems like the improvements can be pretty sudden. If you feel funky tomorrow morning, just call in sick or something. Here's hoping you're fine though.

schnitzer · « **Reply #7 on:** February 04, 2007, 06:50:26 pm »

i don't know why i have turned so emotional all of a sudden. probably many factors.. could sustiva be part of it? this hiv, hang over /dizzyness turned so unbareable all of a sudden. i just want it to end. i've been dealing with this since i was 16 y/o. this man i met and had a relationship with infected me.. since sustiva is so strong... what happens if i took the entire bottle at once? is that going to end my pain? or will i survive with brain damage? what are some other ways to succeed? i am a failure to my family and please let them know it's not their fault.

ajm_ldn · « **Reply #8 on:** February 04, 2007, 07:14:46 pm »

It sounds like you're blaming yourself. It's not your fault if it happened the way you describe it. Don't beat yourself up about it!

Everybody is different, so the drugs will tend to have varying effects. There are other drug combos out there that will work if Sustiva isn't for you.

My advice is take it tonight and if you still feel bad tomorrow, fuck work and go see your doc. He'll give you something else that will work better for you! And you'll feel better.

budndallastx · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2007, 06:28:20 am »

I just saw the post and am wondering how you are doing today.

What happened to you isn't your fault. It's something that happened and now you've got to be strong and take care of yourself. Hiv is a treatable condition and the long term outlook is excellent for you. There are people who care for you and are here to support you.

ajm_ldn is right about work today. Screw it if you feel bad and call the doctor. Keep us posted.

schnitzer · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2007, 09:28:55 pm »

thanks everyone for your support. i took it at 845p last night, i went into work today at 9a. although i was a few minutes late. i had a 15min drive. i was still a little dizzy when i went to work but not as severe as yesterday. i went in all grumpy. just hid by the photocopying machine. . it was difficult to concentate but i pulled it off... . then as the afternoon came around my head started to clear up. i noticed the drunkenness feeling lessened last night.. i stayed up till about 11pm after taking the dose. . i did not feel as dizzy as the previous nights. part of my emotional stress has to do with me being in the middle of a break-up.

budndallastx · « **Reply #11 on:** February 06, 2007, 06:24:40 am »

That's pretty much how Sustiva works .. the side effects subside over the first week. I usually take my pills at bedtime but have now started to crash at 9-9:30 each night. As I stated earlier, a good cup of Starbucks will clear the head in the morning.

Keep us posted.

ajm_ldn · « **Reply #12 on:** February 06, 2007, 03:12:31 pm »

Good to hear the side effects are beginning to diminish. Sounds like you've made it through the worst.

I'm one week ahead of you on the Sustiva and barely notice it any more. I now look forward to taking the tablets 'cause it makes me feel like I'm finally doing something to kick some serious mo' fo' HIV ass! lol

budndallastx · « **Reply #13 on:** February 06, 2007, 05:45:16 pm »

Yeah, the worst is the first couple of ays but after that it's just out there unless you eat a high fat meal in which case you'll have a "hangover" in the morning. At least that's been my experience so far. It's a good reminder to eat properly. Guess I'll have to sell my stock in Mickey D's.

schnitzer · « **Reply #14 on:** February 10, 2007, 06:07:31 am »

ok. u know u are messed up when you start dreaming about work. i dreamt that i was removing staples, stapling, photocopying and writing reciepts.. omfg. . does sustiva cause anxiety/depression? it almost feels like the down feeling from ecstasy but nothing like the 3 day hangover..
i guess when you're in a middle of a breakup isn't really a good time to start sustiva.

is there something else i can take to suppress these feelings besides online/crusing for sex... ? my boyfriend dumped me.

budndallastx · « **Reply #15 on:** February 10, 2007, 11:17:47 am »

I would have to say what you're feeling is from the breakup not the Sustiva but to be safe, talk to your doc. I know when I broke up with the guy I was dating it was not the best month in my life but you need to realize it's his loss and there's someone much much better waiting for you.

The dreams from Sustiva are interesting aren't they? I am thinking about starting a journal since they are all so wierd but in an interesting way. The staples dream sounds boring but then again I dreamt I had to time ice cubes melting on a cold day last week. Thankfully, never had a nightmare so that's a plus.

schnitzer · « **Reply #16 on:** February 20, 2007, 02:11:46 pm »

so, it's been a little over 2 weeks.. i think all the side effects have died down. except for at night when i take my dose, i get really dopey and sloppy. i guess to describe it.. the drunk feeling? does this feeling eventually go away? how am i supposed to have late nights?

budndallastx · « **Reply #17 on:** February 23, 2007, 06:30:39 am »

Take it right before you go to bed...

schnitzer · « **Reply #18 on:** February 24, 2007, 08:48:33 pm »

So, is it ok to take it at 1am right after I come home from the bar?

i normally take it between 9-10pm.

tigger2376 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 25, 2007, 09:12:20 pm »

I can't take sustiva any more and only did for a very short time but my doc was very wary of giving it to me unless I promised to cut down on booze. its Ok with a couple of drinks but any more and that 'dopey' feeling was SO much worse.
I hope you are feeling better and sorry about the breakup
x

budndallastx · « **Reply #20 on:** February 26, 2007, 06:44:23 am »

You should be able to slide it to later in the evening. I would just start moving your pill-popping time to later in the evening so that 1am is only 1-2 hours from normal pill popping time.

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Author Topic: my new sustiva.. (switch from kaletra) (Read 8749 times)