Chinese Herbal Tonic and Hiv Med / Update on my medication

[egello]

Hi

I am on Norvir, Truvada and Rayataz. I also got some chinese herbal tonics made for good digestion purpose.

Can I be taking those chinese herbal tonic while being on these meds?

Also,

update on my HIV med.

It has been about 5 days since starting the med. I take my meds in the morning because the meds seem to make me feel really edgy and it feels like someone hit me over the head with a brick. Almost as if I drank 2 strong espresso. My sleep at night is long and deep, but I wake up not really refreshed.

My stomach still feels nauseous and my feet still tingle.

Do you think I can start working out? I have these energy I want to get it out to cut some edginess off. It could possibly the testosterone shot I got last week. However, I am sorta scared to work out since my t cells are still so low.

What should I be doing right now and what should I be watching out for. I am really confused as to the messages my body is sending me. I have all these werid energy that seems so unatural. Yet, I don't know if I should be careful or not.

Thanks

[terpie82]

Egello,
There's a lot of unknowns, particularly with herbs and expecially with the Chinese tonic because it's like a concoction of G*d knows what and some people will have a hard time swallowing if they knew what was in it (my mom used to make us drink this stuff all the time as a kid). Can you take it with your meds? That's hard to answer but no one's gonna stop you because research progress in herbal and alternative treatments is so slow (hey, the pharmaceutical companies need to make their millions right?). Just curious, did u have a Chinese herbalist prepare the tonic just for you or did you pick it up pre-packaged at a local oriental grocery store? If a Chinese herbalist prepared it for you, I would ask him about some of the ingredients that's in them (they probably won't reveal, but if you see a sea horse then it's quite obvious what one of the ingredient is, haha). Also, if they may interact with Western meds (you don't necessarily need to say which meds you're on or the reason why you're on them) or even when is the best time to take them. I've taken ginko in the last several weeks in the morning to prepare for my exam and Truvada/Sustiva at night to "help" minimize potential interactions, but there's never a guarantee. Also, do you notice a relief in your digestion? If not after a certain period of time, I would probably discontinue. In the next few months, monitor your routine lab results (cd4, vl, cholesterol, iron, etc.) to see if the trend on your health is improving, especially since starting meds now, you should see some changes quickly and more noticeably in the first few labs. If the trend is good, perhaps the Chinese tonic + meds is a good/ok combo for you...but only you and your Dr. can be a good judge of that (yes, please make sure he/she knows you're taking this stuff even though they may know nothing about Chinese herbs, it'll be documented for future purposes).

As for working out, I say if it's safe and doesn't harm your health, then we should be exercising in some form. A workout doesn't have to be a 225 lb bench press with 40 reps...it can be a nice light jog outside or on a treadmill. Lymphocytopenia (reduction of white blood cells) is common during the recovery phase of excercise . Here's the abstract to the study done in the UK (Oh, NK refers to natural killer lymphocytes that "kill" cells that aren't recognized as self -such as the case of tumors and virally infected cells...Wikipedia) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17037088&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_docsum
So yes, don't overdo it. Have you talked to your physician about this? He/she may have better advice since they know your health better than anyone here. If exercise isn't an option, I would take up a hobby or take a fun class to help you direct your energy to better use.

In my experience, Truvada is a fairly tolerable drug so hopefully you won't run into problems. Can't speak for the other two but I'm sure someone will. Continue eating healthy foods, exercise if you can, pamper yourself with 400 tc cotton sheets (ok, you can leave the last one out) and let the meds take its course. Hopefully your T's will be off the charts and your V's severely depressed in no time, and you'll still have that extra energy that you can apply towards a heavier workout if you still want to.

[alisenjafi]

How many endangered species go into that ancient Chinese secret?

[terpie82]

Ha, hell if I know. Perhaps that's why it's a secret (and probably because I'm not Chinese). But if I could tell you some of the ingredients that I saw in the Chinese herbal shop, you'd be running and praying to the porcelain God(dess). Is there a Chinese herbalist in the house?
Cheers,
Terpie

[J.R.E.]

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Chinese_Herbal_Medicine.asp?sitearea=ETO

Are there any possible problems or complications?

"Because of the variety of herbs used in Chinese herbal medicine, there is a potential for negative interactions with prescribed drugs. Some herbal preparations contain other ingredients which are not always identified. The FDA has issued a statement warning diabetics to avoid several specific brands of Chinese herbal products because they illegally contain the prescription diabetes drugs glyburide and phenformin. FDA warnings have been issued for PC-SPES and production of that product stopped because the Chinese herbal products also contained prescription drugs (indomethicin, diethylstilbestrol and warfarin).

Similar concerns have been raised about Chinese herbal products for other diseases, which have been found to contain toxic contaminants and prescription drugs such as diazepam (Valium). Tests of Chinese herbal remedies by the California Department of Health found that nearly one third contained prescription drugs or were contaminated with toxic metals such as mercury, arsenic, and lead. Concerns about Chinese herbal products have been raised in other countries as well. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare reported that some Chinese herbal products contained contaminants which caused severe liver and thyroid problems that were fatal in some cases.

Of the more than 5,000 medicinal plant species in China, a small number are potentially toxic (poisonous) to the human body. Toxic herbs may mistakenly be harvested and shipped for herbal medicines and cause harmful reactions in those who take the medicines. In addition, the herbal formulas used are often complex and difficult for manufacturers and practitioners to formulate correctly. For example, an herbal product intended to promote weight loss confused two Chinese herbs with similar names and mistakenly used the wrong one, resulting in severe kidney damage that was fatal in some cases.

Although the long history of traditional Chinese herbal medicine is sometimes interpreted as evidence of safety, it is important to note that many of these herbs are no longer produced and used as they were in the past. The historical safety of using low doses of an herb for a short period of time under close supervision of a traditional practitioner does not assure safety when these herbs are used in high doses and concentrated forms over a longer period without medical guidance, not does it address concerns of intentional or inadvertent contamination of these herbs with toxic substances or prescription drugs during the manufacturing process.

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine licensed by a state board can provide advice on sources of herbs less likely to contain dangerous contaminants. Because some herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine may cause dangerous interactions with conventional medications, patients should talk with their doctor before using any of the herbs."

http://kidneydiseases.about.com/od/kidneyfailure/a/herbfailure.htm

http://www.projinf.org/fs/herbs_g.html


Be careful of what you are taking....



Ray