Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 07:52:07 pm

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772947
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 441
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 3
Guests: 319
Total: 322

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: Stoping ARV ?  (Read 3896 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Rafaelmagura

  • Member
  • Posts: 14
Stoping ARV ?
« on: December 28, 2012, 10:26:12 am »
If I stop taking a altripla what will happend ?
Will my body crave it , is it addicting ?

I can't afford my hiv treatment anymore , does anyone have any remedies or such things

Offline leatherman

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 8,593
  • Google and HIV meds are Your Friends
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2012, 11:39:57 am »
While, HIV meds are not addicting, stopping HIV meds can allow the virus to mutate, causing resistance, so that those drugs are no longer effective against the virus. Stopping HIV meds means the virus will go unchecked in your body which will more than likely eventually end up with you quite sick with AIDS before dying.

If you are unable to afford your meds, you need to contact a local AIDS Service Org, check out the website for your medication for a patient assistance program (this is a link to Atripla Patient Assist), or apply for your state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) (this is a link to Conn. ADAP).
leatherman (aka Michael)

We were standing all alone
You were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker
Dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time
- Darren Hayes, "Chained to You"

Offline Bsc86

  • Member
  • Posts: 25
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2012, 12:27:29 pm »
Rafael...I know I'm new here, but as someone who recently recovered from 4 opportunistic infections and an AIDS diagnosis, believe me...it's not something you want to go through. There's no remedies to stop HIV. I suggest you take leatherman's suggestions and try all available options before stopping treatment.


Any of the infections that you might encounter are a horrible way to go, and will be most likely painful (my lungs burned excruciatingly with every breath I took with PCP and Valley Fever). Not to mention the pain my body was going through in general...literally. My skin hurt, my bones hurt. With the CMV infection, I lost my vision in my left eye.


Not trying to scare you, but seriously...try any resources possible.


Do you have any family or friends who can help you with the Atripla bill until you get on a program like ADAP? I used the co-pay programs before I got on...and while they didn't completely cover the cost, it helped make it easier to pay for them. Also, you should have a case manager to help you get going on the ADAP process. Mine has been nothing short of amazing, and without her, there's so much paperwork and red tape that you'd have to jump through.


This may be a good place to start for case management: http://www.ctaidscoalition.org/pdf/assistance/agencies.pdf


It looks like the (ctaidscoalition.org) is a good site in general for resources in your state.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2012, 12:54:35 pm by Bsc86 »
09/25/2012 - Diagnosed. CD4: 8. VL: unknown
Started HAART - Norvir, Prezista, Truvada
10/15/2012 - CD4: 18. VL: unknown (hospital never told me VL counts)
11/28/2012 - CD4: 114 (bad test)
12/08/2012 - CD4: 54, VL: 223
                   Switched to Norvir, Epzicom, and Prezista
01/08/2013 - CD4: 232, VL: 182

Current regimen: Norvir, Prezista, Epzicom

Offline Rockin

  • Member
  • Posts: 507
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2012, 07:19:10 pm »
Rafael...I know I'm new here, but as someone who recently recovered from 4 opportunistic infections and an AIDS diagnosis, believe me...it's not something you want to go through. There's no remedies to stop HIV. I suggest you take leatherman's suggestions and try all available options before stopping treatment.

Not trying to scare you, but seriously...try any resources possible.

I second that. You don't want to have a burning fever that doesn't even allow you to walk or open your eyes and start to lose weight like crazy and worry to death your family and your friends or get Toxoplasmosis and start to go insane, like an acquaintance of mine recently. He died btw.

HIV is not a joke, please do everything you can to not stop your meds.

Offline WillyWump

  • Member
  • Posts: 7,367
  • EPIC FIERCENESS!
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2012, 09:05:44 pm »
If you stop your medicine you will eventually die, HIV is nothing to be playing with.

I understand you cannot afford them any longer, but this does not mean all is lost. You need to seek out a local Aids Services organization and set up an appt with a case manager. They have a wealth of info and many tools to help you get back on your meds.

-Will
POZ since '08

Last Labs-
11-6-14 CD4- 871, UD
6/3/14 CD4- 736, UD 34%
6/25/13 CD4- 1036, UD,
2/4/13, CD4 - 489, UD, 28%

Current Meds: Prezista/Epzicom/ Norvir
.

Offline DrewEm

  • Member
  • Posts: 74
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2012, 12:05:56 am »
Long time reader, new postor but here is my story. I had this issue two years ago - my state medical insurance was cut off because I was $15 over the income limit. I didn't have a case worked at the time because the state government had cut one million dollars from my local HIV/AIDS organization and they didn't have enough funding to survive. Also, the state I live in designates which counties various HIV organizations can serve so I couldn't go to the next closest one due to my address.

My infectious disease doctor was able to get me a month and ten days worth of meds (I take Norvir, Truvada and Prezista) which we hoped would be enough to cover me while my TDAP application was being processed. I ran through the meds and still no TDAP. So, after a consultation with my ID doc he told me to stop my meds cold turkey - do not taper or try to stretch the doses out. I was off my meds for six weeks. I was scared of the virus mutating but he explained that the virus does a "comparison" to see what some cells have that others don't. By stopping cold turkey all my cells appeared the same to the virus. Once my TDAP came through I started up again on the same meds and at my last blood draw (Nov 2012) my viral load was 59 and everything else was fine.

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2012, 07:16:06 am »
Note: Some combos are stopped "cold turkey".  Others, the advice is different to take into consideration half-lives.  Best to ask a specialist opinion.

The question might be moot if the combo is Atripla and the person taking it hasn't easy access to doctors and drugs.  But I seem to remember something about sustiva having a long half life and so ideally there were a few days of the "Truvada" components without the sustiva.  So don't know what atripla takers do in this case.

« Last Edit: December 29, 2012, 07:23:42 am by mecch »
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline emeraldize

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,397
Re: Stoping ARV ?
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2012, 10:28:00 am »
Hello Rafael,

Your profile indicates you are located in Connecticut -- if that is still so, this link may offer you helpful information.

http://www.211ct.org/informationlibrary/Documents/Conn_AIDS_Drug_Assistance_Program.asp

Em

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.