POZ Community Forums
Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits => Questions About Treatment & Side Effects => Topic started by: Common_ground on August 29, 2012, 09:06:35 am
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Ive been on Truvada/Stocrin for 3 months, never missed a dose. After the first 5 weeks my VL was at 88. Most side effects are gone except the insomnia, I cant really get a good nights sleep after popping the pills at 11pm so last couple of months ive been sleeping in the afternoon and evening,after taking the pills I feel normal and think I would be better off to switch to morning since I then would be able to get a good nights sleep.
How to go forward with this? I dont want to risk resistance but at the same time I need to change because I cant keep up with work and studies continuing this habit.
Is a gradual change until I hit morning time to prefer or should I stick it out til I for sure knows Im UD?
My next doc appointment is in 6 weeks.
Thx...
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The combo you're on is very forgiving where dose timing is concerned.
If you normally would be getting up six to eight hours after 11pm, I'd just not take it one night and switch to first thing when you get up.
See how it goes and if eating breakfast brings on side-effects (like feeling drunk or dizzy) and that lasts for more than a day or two, just switch to later in the morning so you're taking it equidistant between breakfast and lunch.
You may find that breakfast has no effect whatsoever. Handy hint: don't eat a high fat meal of any kind before a combo including Stocrin (aka Sustiva, efavirenz).
If you're inclined to be more cautious, move it backwards by two or three hours each day until you hit the right spot for you.
Personally, I'd just move it straight to morning even after the period of time you've been on meds. Moving it backwards over a period of days would make me more likely to miss a dose one day or screw it up in some other way.
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Many thanks Ann :)
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I could have been clearer on the meal/high fat meal side-effect thing. It's best to take Stocrin on an empty stomach - meaning no food two hours either side. Some people find it's ok as long as the meal in those four hours isn't high fat.
Many people only get the food-effect in the first few weeks or months, if at all. You may already be past that stage. You'll have to experiment.
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I'd also make the switch on a day that you didn't have to work or have anything else planned -- just in case you do get that "drunk" feeling.
I still, after 6+ yrs, get a drunk feeling if I eat anything high in fat around dosing time -- but I know that isn't true for many others. I actually don't mind the feeling, as I haven't been really drunk in almost 23 yrs -- brings back some memories. ;)
Mike
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Thanks again Ann and Mike.
I got a few days coming up + the weekend, starting tomorrow with a somewhat lighter workload so I decided to kick back the dosing about 2 hours each nite until I hit morning time on Sunday. I usually fall asleep when I should be waking up so at this time it doesnt bother me adjusting the dosing bit by bit.
Im not brave enough to do it all in just one nite, I even get worried being half an hour late so this is a big step :)
Breakfast shouldnt be a problem, if I take the pills just as I wake up the stomach will be as empty as it gets and Im rarely in the mood for breakfast in the first couple of hours anyway so Im really hoping this pans out well and I can keep doing mornings as it would suit my schedule well.
Will report back how it goes if there are any others thinking of doing the same.
Cheers everyone!
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Hi,
There is nothing really wrong with over dosing. If one time you take with this rhythm
24-24-24-24-12-24-24-24... you have a switch that has no underdosing
I did that kind of switch 3 times for the same reason you mention
( I have had other overdosing due to intercontinental travels)
One time I had the very mild diarrhea (lasted one day). Otherwise no problem
I did the switches for the same reason you mention sleep problems and anxiety (which builds up towards the end of a - stressfull- day) upon recommendation of my doc.
I started, like yourself to take my meds at night.
I tried moving to the mornings after a few months. could not stand it
so I move back (in fact, forward) to nights for 3-4 months, then tried again the morning dosing. It worked like a charm.
recently I have an addition to my pills that needs to be taken at nights so I tried to move the entire set to nights. I lasted 2 days
I am back in taking my pills on top of the hour , in the morning.
I prefer the morning dosing, because, once it is done, you can forget about it (and you can still act if you have forgotten, which has not yet happenned to me thanks to the amazing invention: the alarm clock!).
I do not have the embarrassment of taking pills in the middle of a social event...
It may require a bit of trial and error, and I do not think that the VL you currently have is a matter of consideration in this switch.
Hope this helps
Eric
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I am on atripla and i played around with the times that i took it a little. I started taking it at 6am because of a work schedule. I then changed it to midnight. The way i did it was took it every 23.5 hours for 12 days. This eliminated my anxiety about overdosing (although from what i have read, thats not likely to happen).
When i went on vacation there was a 3 hour time difference and i didnt want to take it at 9am to maintain 24-24-24-24 so i just took it every 24.5 for 6 days before i left.
From everything i read about my particular medication, 30 minutes either way wouldnt make much of a difference especially since i had been on it for as long as i had. Why dont you reach out to your doctor and see what he/she says?
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Im already in the process of changing the dosing time. I do 26-26-26-26-26( for 5 days) to push it from 11pm to 9am. Im at 3am now so tonite I will take it at 5am.
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I am on atripla and i played around with the times that i took it a little. I started taking it at 6am because of a work schedule. I then changed it to midnight. The way i did it was took it every 23.5 hours for 12 days. This eliminated my anxiety about overdosing (although from what i have read, thats not likely to happen).
When i went on vacation there was a 3 hour time difference and i didnt want to take it at 9am to maintain 24-24-24-24 so i just took it every 24.5 for 6 days before i left.
From everything i read about my particular medication, 30 minutes either way wouldnt make much of a difference especially since i had been on it for as long as i had. Why dont you reach out to your doctor and see what he/she says?
I understand your concerns (and the OP's), but I can tell you that it is not warranted - especially with Atripla. I have traveled to time zones of 8 hr difference. I always take my meds at approx. the same time, regardless of time zone. My doctor says there is no reason to do any differently. In fact, because I take my Atripla between 8 & 10 at night, he says it is better to stick to my routine than to risk changing it and possibly missing doses. There is nothing better to ensure not missing doses than routine!!!
Mike
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Thats exactly why everyone has to figure out what will work for them. I have an alarm on my phone, alarm in my house and if i could i would find something to give me a slap in the face every time I am ready for my meds. lol
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Update
Eventually I went back to taking it at nite. Two weeks now and Im sleeping like a puppy. One day I forgot I changed the dosing time and just popped the pills at nite and slept waking up missing a dose in the pill box I thought I screwed up but then remebered I took it the night before. All good now, could have been anxiety or whatever, not sure, important thing is im sleeping.