POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: excelinit on August 20, 2011, 12:39:03 pm
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I have been + for 5 years and never really needed treatment. My #s are still pretty good but not as good as before so I decided to start treatment.
After weighing all the options I decided to start the new treatment that came out last week Complera. I took my first pill this morning. I am feeling a little hazy but I'm not sure if that is from the medicine or from a long bike ride this morning.
I know the DHHS just labled Atripla as the preferred regimine for treatment naive patients with Complera as an alternative but I am extremely active with sports so the side effects of Atripla seemed to make Complera more appealing.
Hopefully if this doens't work, I'd still be able to switch to Atripla without developing resistance, who knows?
Since you have to take it with a meal I took it with my normal breakfast - bagel with cream cheese and yogurt and some gatorade. Hopefully that was enough. I plan to take it in the mornings and if I forget for some reason I will still be able to take it at lunch or dinner.
Just some random thoughts from a newbie...
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I personally would ignore what the DHHS says about preferred and alternative combinations. All modern combinations (and some old ones, hello Kaletra or Viramune + 2 nukes) work as well, they may have different side effect profiles, but in terms of hammering the virus there is little to choose between them.
Efavirenz + 2 nukes is a benchmark, especially for comparing new drugs (cos it works) though I note very old now. Complera is at least as good (technically, it is non-inferoir). It's new but so far seems to have a more modest side effect profile compared to efavirenz based combos eg Atripla << doubtless as time goes on we will find out more and its side effect profile and this will worsen.
Provided you have no important reisistance, if you want to switch to an efavirenz based combo at any point (or indeed a PI or integrase inhibitor based combo) you should be able to switch if you wish << for efavirenz this seems very possible if your doc is happy for you to start on Complera.
Complera contains Edurant (rilpivirine), and this needs a proper meal to be absorbed properly (ie 500+ calories of food according to the pre-approval studies).
- matt
Edited for spelling
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Thanks for your post Matt! That makes me feel a lot better to know. I'm 24 hours in and feel good. I did have a noticible "buzz" feeling going yesterday but went about my day which was pretty busy as normal. Did have a litte trouble with waking up during the night a few times but nothing too out of the ordinary. I felt a slight "hangover" feeling this morning but nothing an 8 mile run couldn't cure. Felt pretty bad after that but I think that had more to do with the heat and humidity.
I was wondering tho, can this medicine cause dark circles under your eyes? Not sure if that is from some dehydration or the medicine. Thanks!
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Please keep us posted about how you do on Complera! I'm probably going to be needing to start meds within the next few months and Complera is looking to be my number one choice for a regimen. I'd love to hear how things go for you as you continue to take it!
As for dark circles under you eyes, I think a night of crappy sleep might do that?
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Hey Odyssey - So far so good! I think the circles were just from stress or lack of sleep because they went away the next day. I thought it was the meds because I never get circles like that.
I guess I've been on it for about 10 days. I haven't had any side effects except for a feeling of being kind of "zoned out" or medicine head during the day (I take it during the morning after breakfast). This feeling doesn't bother me and seems to be decreasing as time goes on.
So I like the way this medicine is reacting so far, but the real test will be if it is helping me. I am starting with VL ~27K and Tcell of 850.
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I'm a little freaked out that I think I missed a dose yesterday. I'm usually very organized and on top of stuff like this but when I checked my pill box this morning i noticed Wednesday was still closed. I guess its a good reminder. I moved the box out onto the kitchen counter where I can see it. But it just surprised me. Hopefully one missed dose won't matter too much!
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Probably, missing one dose may hardly make a difference. Unofficially, I understand the half-life of Rilpivirine is 55 hours which is longer than Efiverienz, about 48 hours ... so errors in adherence may have less impact.
However, if one is new to treatment [and with a detectable VL, esp over 100,000], extra care would be prudent to avoid potential for resistance. I hope Complera works for you. It has the potential to open the single pill combo option to many who would greatly benefit.
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Try setting an alarm on your watch, phone, iPod, etc. to remind you that it is time to take your pill. That is what I did when I was on meds previously and it was important to take them every night at 6 PM. I had one of those watches with an alarm and it would beep at me every evening and I knew it was time to take my pills. Maybe doing something like this would help you avoid missed doses too!
odyssey
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I am very relieved that Complera is working great for you, I start Complera at the end of this week as well.