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Author Topic: Rash - I'm starting to freak  (Read 6247 times)

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Offline parteboy

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  • Posts: 37
Rash - I'm starting to freak
« on: September 08, 2007, 09:58:32 pm »
Hi all,

I've been on truvada and stocrin for over a week now and i got up this morning and i noticed i had a rash on my underarm area and back near my underarm but only on the left side and . My doctor said if i get a rash to call him but its a weekend and he's not around..... Should i be so stressed?
Its not itchy but it is slightly sore....
Any advice would be great....
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Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2007, 10:05:00 pm »
Parte,

From our lesson on HIV drugs:

Rash is another common side effect of Sustiva [Stocrin]. These rashes usually go away without any change in treatment. In a small number of patients, rash may be serious. If you develop rash, call your doctor as soon as possible.

MtD
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Offline parteboy

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Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2007, 10:07:49 pm »
Thanks for that matty should i go to a hospital or just wait till tomorrow?
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Offline Matty the Damned

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Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2007, 10:21:08 pm »
Well Brother, unless you're feeling really ill (eg the rash is very painful, you've got fever, severe joint pain and/or having trouble breathing) it can probably wait until tomorrow, when you should ring your sexual health physician/HIV specialist first thing and report the rash.

If you start to notice the symptoms I mention above (or if you just start feeling really ill) then hot-foot it to Casualty. Pronto.

MtD
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Offline Ann

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    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2007, 06:41:03 am »
parteboy,

A sore, non-itchy rash that appears on only one side of the body could be shingles. You should see a doctor as soon as you can in case it IS shingles, so you can start on some meds to lessen the severity of the attack.

Check out the lesson on Shingles.

Keep us posted.

Ann
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Condoms are a girl's best friend

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"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline JDP3

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  • Gomez, are you miserable, my darling? Completely.
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2007, 04:51:34 am »
Ah, the rash.  Another of Sustiva's ever so pleasant side effects.  But, the stuff works and I'll deal with the side effects as long as it does work.  I, too, had the rash around my neck, but a year or so into the treatment.  I at first attributed the itching and redness to laundry detergent, but it was localized to that one area.The most relief I got was from an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.  There was some puffiness, but not extreme.

Shingles, on the other hand, get thee to a doctor!  Those blisters are distinctive, having been described as "dewdrops on rose petals."  And yes, although the similarity is there, those are the most painful skin eruptions I can imagine!  I believe there is an injection that can lessen the severity of shingles IF caught in time.  In a case of shingles, entire clusters of nerve endings just under the skin become inflamed.  I believe I've read that this is a hold-over over the Chicken Pox virus and is more common in the elderly and those with immune system issues.

If this rash episode does turn out to be Sustiva-related, it will go away.  Mine did in about a week and a half, two weeks, and I never saw a doctor.  I've been on Sustiva for about 3 years now.  They say its worse in the few weeks after beginning Sustiva, but its not that pleasant this far in.  You just become more accustomed to what it does to your body.  You really need to read up on all possible side effects as well as the Sustiva-related threads in these forums.  I'm awake now at 3:00am after taking Clonazapam, 2 Ambien, herbal prozac and hot tea.  Some nights, as they say, "it just be's like 'dat."

All in all, you just learn to treat and live with the unfortunate side effects.  For me, Lanacane or a hydrocortisone cream work as a first line of defense in situations like this as I only get to see a doctor every 3 months.  Benadryl is another good over-the-counter drug to have on hand for allergic reactions such as some rashes in addition to allergy and nasal conditions.

Your lovely skin tone will return in time.  Best of luck to you.

John
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"There is no beginning.  There is no end.  There is only the infinite passion of life."   -Frederico Fellini

Offline parteboy

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Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2007, 02:25:54 am »
Well I went to the doctors and firstly he thought it was an allergy and sent me to a skin specialist. By they time i got to the skin specialist he took one look and when SHINGLES...... Apparently shingles is common in people that start HAART treatment due to a condition called IRS, or immune reconsitution syndrome. He said its my immusne system getting stronger that sometimes the checks and balances go out of wack.....

Thanks for all your advice...
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Offline J.R.E.

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  • Positive since 1985, joined forums 12/03
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2007, 06:12:27 am »
Quote from: parteboy on September 11, 2007, 02:25:54 am
Well I went to the doctors and firstly he thought it was an allergy and sent me to a skin specialist. By they time i got to the skin specialist he took one look and when SHINGLES...... Apparently shingles is common in people that start HAART treatment due to a condition called IRS, or immune reconsitution syndrome. He said its my immusne system getting stronger that sometimes the checks and balances go out of wack.....

Thanks for all your advice...


Sorry to hear about you having shingles. And the statement you made above is true. I have had shingles 3 times in 22 years, but I haven't had it occur since late 2003, just after starting on HAART. Just take care of yourself, make sure to take any medication the doctor prescribed for it. It just has to work it's course, and it will eventually clear up.


Take care-----Ray
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Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 UPDATED: As of April, 2nd 2024,Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @593 /  CD4 % @ 18 %

Lymphocytes,total-3305 (within range)

cd4/cd8 ratio -0.31

cd8 %-57

72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline atxpozguy

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  • POZ+ 32 year milestone reached for Austin man
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2007, 12:19:30 am »
A soft bristle hair brush works really good for itching if you have shingles. I have had shingles 6 times within a year before and it hurt something really bad like a 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Acyclovir is the med ask for for Shingles.

A couple of friends that live in Mexico bathe in clorox when they get shingles and within 3 days, the Shingles are gone.

Myself, I will settle for the medication, instead of a bath tub full of clorox.
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32 years poz LTS with no expiration date

Diagnosed HIV 1982
Diagnosed AIDS 2001

As of June 2015, VL <20 CD 435 26%

Currently taking a daily total of 17 meds while only two meds for AIDS, the rest for other body organs effected by years of retrovirals. Diagnosed with Lung Cancer 2012, COPD Stage 4 2015, IBS 2013, Chronic Cystitis, Chronic Renal Failure, Hearing Loss, Depression and everyday comes with different health episodes which has sent me to the Er via EMS on a regular basis.  My quality of life has been impacted dramatically.

Offline parteboy

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  • Posts: 37
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2007, 05:46:06 pm »
Well its day 4 on famvir and whilst the pain has subsided.... it felt like someone was putting a knife into me and twisting it, my god i don't wish this on anyone, the spots don't seem to be doing anything except growing. Off to the doctors today to get it checked. Thans for all the advice...
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Offline J.R.E.

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  • Positive since 1985, joined forums 12/03
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2007, 07:36:32 pm »
Quote from: parteboy on September 12, 2007, 05:46:06 pm
Well its day 4 on famvir and whilst the pain has subsided.... it felt like someone was putting a knife into me and twisting it, my god i don't wish this on anyone, the spots don't seem to be doing anything except growing. Off to the doctors today to get it checked. Thans for all the advice...


Yep....Nerve pain is very painful. Just try to relax and not move that much. The pain will diminish in time. The one case of shingles I had, I couldn't walk. And I woke up one morning, and guess what NO PAIN !!

Ray
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Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 UPDATED: As of April, 2nd 2024,Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @593 /  CD4 % @ 18 %

Lymphocytes,total-3305 (within range)

cd4/cd8 ratio -0.31

cd8 %-57

72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline J.R.E.

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,207
  • Positive since 1985, joined forums 12/03
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2007, 07:40:08 pm »


In case you missed it (from the lessons) :

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Shingles_6797.shtml


Ray
Logged
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 UPDATED: As of April, 2nd 2024,Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @593 /  CD4 % @ 18 %

Lymphocytes,total-3305 (within range)

cd4/cd8 ratio -0.31

cd8 %-57

72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline rowdi5

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  • Posts: 1
Re: Rash - I'm starting to freak
« Reply #12 on: September 17, 2007, 02:32:54 pm »
 >:(    I was  diagnosed about 30 days ago and put on Combivir and Sustiva and have ben rashy every since.  Dr says it will go away but it is miserable.  Using steroid cream and menthol cream and it helps a little. How long does this junk last,,,, Sometimes it gets better and u think "cool" but then it acomes back.  Sun seems to accelerate the rash, but cant hibernate forever.   help
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