POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: tommy246 on November 11, 2009, 12:48:22 pm
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I am a week into atripla so not drinking or going out at the moment. No real side effects to speak of up to now but with xmas looming on the horizon i have a couple of questions for you wise ones.
1. Alcohol doesnt make atripla any less effective but can make it more toxic is this true,and what is meant exactly by more toxic .
2. would it be ok to take your pill 4 hours late after a night out once a week .
3.What happens if you miss a dose what does this half life i have seen mentioned mean exactly
thankyou.
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I've only been on it since mid September but here are my thoughts
1. I think the issue with alcohol is that, like atripla, it is metabolized by your liver. So lightening the load of alcohol lessen's its work load. Personally, I find I'm drinking less largely because I just don't seem to like it as much.
2. I asked my doc about timing. After stretching to being more than 3 hours late he began to get a pained look. So I have the impression that 2 hours is ok but past that is pushing it. One solution would be to take it 2 hours later the night before you go out. Then you add another 2 hours the night you go out. Then you return back to normal.
3. I ws told that if I missed a bedtime dose, take it in the morning anyway....don't wait till the next evening. The issue is potential resistence but I don't know the specifics.
I'm interested in other's responses and I'm still learning about this drug as well.
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I've thrown back a dozen pills with a shot of tequila, so I'm sure you girls can handle doing the same with one pill.
As far as the liver issue goes, yes it's a concern if you are drinking every day and are an alcoholic. Switch to snorting cocaine if that's a concern (j/k).
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I've thrown back a dozen pills with a shot of tequila, so I'm sure you girls can handle doing the same with one pill.
As far as the liver issue goes, yes it's a concern if you are drinking every day and are an alcoholic. Switch to snorting cocaine if that's a concern (j/k).
LMAO....Ur a crazy lady!! Jk
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I found that if I wait until i get home from the bar to take the meds, I am usually buzzed or drunk and more likely to forget, so I find it easier to just take one with me, and I use whatever I'm drinking, alcoholic or not, to wash it down with at 11pm, EVERY NIGHT NO MATTER WHERE I AM, when my phone reminder beeps at me. If I want to be discreet, I got to the bathroom or a darker area and take it.
Personally, I don't like taking it the next morning if I forget, because it definitely makes me feel loopy when I'm awake, so I make doubly sure to take it at night.
And as far as drinking and meds go, my doctor said "You're human, we don't expect anyone not to drink at all, that's unrealistic. Of course we'd prefer you not, because that's better, but it's not a big deal to drink every now and then while on meds."
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Thanks thats good to know do you find by taking it at 11 pm when your out drinking makes you drunk easier or feel different from drinking before meds. Im not into hard alcohol i m a beer guzzler and like wine with a meal.
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If I'm going out drinking on a weekend and expect to be home late, I take my atripla with me and just pop a pill in the bathroom at the bar around my scheduled time. Now that I've been on it almost 2 years, I find I barely notice any side effects such as being dizzy or off balance if I have a couple of drinks with it. I'm not a big drinker, just a few on the weekend mainly.
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Being that I can't live without my Guinness, I asked my doc if there'd be an issue with Atripla and a few pints. She said not to worry, just to make sure that I don't get so pissed that I pass out and end up missing doses. There is no issue with Alcohol reducing effectiveness or absorption.
Missing one dose won't be a problem, but make sure that it does not become a habit. The components in Atripla have a long half-life in the body, so being late won't cause resistance issues (especially if you are at an undetectable point).
And is this the only type of "partying" that you are concerned about. I noticed Philly made a clever suggestion (though jokingly) ;D
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In the few instances that I do go out (working two jobs and school puts and damper on that). I just take it before I go out. I don't even go out until 2200 at the earliest, so it's not too early for my medicine anyway. I've been undetectable thus far! But my doctor told me that drinking every once in a while isn't going to make a difference, but with anything, in moderation.
Drugs I couldn't tell you about, I don't see the interest in it.
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Is the issue on "timing" really about efficacy of Atripla or more about adherence? I thought I read on these posts that if you take the pill once a day, no matter when, there really isn't a need to take it at nearly the exact same time every day - just that you take it period.
I've switched back and forth between taking it at bedtime and taking it around 5:30 pm before the gym. I wonder if these changes had anything to do with my spikes in VL.
More questions for my ID doc.
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Is the issue on "timing" really about efficacy of Atripla or more about adherence? I thought I read on these posts that if you take the pill once a day, no matter when, there really isn't a need to take it at nearly the exact same time every day - just that you take it period.
I've switched back and forth between taking it at bedtime and taking it around 5:30 pm before the gym. I wonder if these changes had anything to do with my spikes in VL.
More questions for my ID doc.
Wildcat, from what I understand, you should make sure you're taking it at pretty much the same time every day - at least until you become undetectable and are undetectable for a while. After that, you have more leeway.
Ann
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I take a pill with me when I know I'm going to be out late on Friday and/or Saturday nights. I go to the bathroom and pop my pill with whatever I'm drinking (usually alcoholic) at about 11:30 pm. Seems to work fine. I have noticed I can be moody sometimes after doing this. I am sure mixing the alcohol with the pill is not ideal. I usually deal with it.
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Is the issue on "timing" really about efficacy of Atripla or more about adherence? I thought I read on these posts that if you take the pill once a day, no matter when, there really isn't a need to take it at nearly the exact same time every day - just that you take it period.
I've switched back and forth between taking it at bedtime and taking it around 5:30 pm before the gym. I wonder if these changes had anything to do with my spikes in VL.
More questions for my ID doc.
I was told being 2 hours late is ok. Early is no problem, of course.
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4 hours late on the odd occasion with Atripla will make sod all difference.
After 5 days the main drug in Atripla, efavirenz, reaches a steady state and so as long as you take it consistently in a (very) roughly 24 hr period it's okay, the drug level won't dip, and the other drugs, well if your viral load has reached <50 copies it will make diddly squat difference if you do the combo late once in a while. Having a good time is a healthy thing to do. - matt
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Thats justwhat my hiv doc said as well newt 4 hours late now and again after a night out is fine .