I think I may be starting meds very soon.

[Ihavehope]

I think I may be starting meds very soon and have read many talk about side effects. I live with 2 sisters and have not revealed to them my status because they themselves are going through emotional trauma. Will it be possible to HIDE the fact that I will be on meds for a few months or the side affects in some meds so harsh that i will need to be hospitalized or in the bathroom at nights.

Please advise

[woodshere]

I started meds immediately after my diagnosis.  My side effects have basically been zero.  It varies from individual to individual.  I bet what will cause more stress than side effects is keeping the fact you are taking meds for HIV a secret from your roommates/sisters.  I would probably take the meds for a week or so and see what happens.  Your side effects might be slight and can be covered by a little white lie or half truth.  If they are severe then you can decide what to do at that point.

On disclosure, thus far my experience has been very positive.....pun intended.

Best of luck
Woods

[skeebo1969]

  Ihavehope,

     I just want you to know I shared much of the same paranoia about taking meds.  So much so that I think/know I waited too long to do so.   After a very suprising drop in my numbers between May 2006-Nov 2006 my doctor not only told me I had no other choice to start meds, but also had to take Bactrim to prevent any opportunistic infections because my CD4's were below the 200 mark.

    For me this was something I thought I would face next year, not now!  I was so angry over this (what I thought) perilous situation.  Up to then it looked like I might be able to wait another two years.   

    Oh the stories I told my friend and his wife had them so fearful for me that they allowed me to spend the night at their house for the expected late night trip to the hospital.   Yep we were going to be ready for the seizure, nausea or what ever... We had a game plan...  I was ready for the worse.

    At about 9pm both of them watched me open the bottle of Atripla nervously and take out that first pink pill with the ironic numbers 123 on it.  Rotea, my friend's wife handed me the water nervously and I gulped it down in one shot.  We waited, Mike even kept his work clothes on ready for the first sign of trouble! 

   Soon it was 11 pm and his wife could not stay up any longer...  I was a little dizzy at this point and waiting....  I mean something had to happen..  I was the guy who sometimes got sick off multi vitamins, so this was definitely going to be the death of me!

   At 1 am my friend was snoring on the couch and I sat there white knuckled like I was riding a roller coaster.   

   Next thing I knew I could smell his wife's perfume as she walked past me to leave for work..  It was 8 am!  Nothing happend in other words..  I lived, lived another day to take yet another pill... and another.. and still tonight will take another!

   I fretted, for me, over absolutely nothing...   

   This may just be your situation also...  Regardless you are going to be scared that first night and I guess it is normal for us to think the worst.. Have you talked to your doctor over your fears?  Maybe he/she will keep this in mind when starting you on your first regimen.   If you know for sure someone is going to be home when you take your first dose just take reassurance in knowing someone is there just in case, although in my opinion it most certainly may not be needed.   If you should happen to get ill it does not necessarily mean you have to disclose your status to them.  Just tell them you need to have them take you to the hospital, once again most likely won't happen.

   Find out from your doctor what regimen she/he will most likely start you on.  I did and she was spot on as far as it being the one I started with and am on now.   Once you get this info you can come here and post questions about it and get others experience with it.   Don't fret...  I did and did so dangerously for nothing.

  What are your current numbers by the way?  I know you have a few other threads and maybe I just missed them so I will go look to see if you posted them already..   

   Hang in there... everything will most likely work out.

  Thomas

   

[skeebo1969]

"I went today to get my first lab results and my CD4 was 240 and my VL is 26,000 and My CD4 % is 22."

   I found your lab results in another thread.  While you are right that the time may be close, is your doctor doing another set of labs soon?  Was this your first set?  If memory serves me correctly it is.   It is possible for your numbers to increase... well what I mean is the cd4 may just improve.   I know you may not know for sure, but do you know if your infection took place recently?

   I also browsed some of your other posts and I see you are very afraid, just like I was!   Man I was a mess that first few months... Trust me it does get better as time goes along.  Please try to not find just the horror stories like I did...  there are a lot of them, but for every one you find keep in mind that there are 9 others like mine.

   I and the others here understand your fears and you are doing the correct thing by discussing it here...  and know we are here to help with those fears..  People here helped me through it and we are here to help you through it..

  Relax (God! I hated hearing that) everything is going to be OK..

  ((((HUGS))))

Thomas

[Miss Philicia]

I think one of the drawbacks about the intersection of HIV and the internet is that one can easily fixate on the stories of bad reactions to HIV medication.  Of course folks are going to write posts about their bad reactions, not the times when nothing happened.  So I guess keep that in mind.  On one hand I wish boards like this existed 14 years ago when I first went on meds and on the hand I'm kind of glad they did not.  I think the only reaction I had at the time was some headaches which aspirin took care of.  And I hid my pills from my family for a decade, though I didn't live with them so I only had to do this when I went home for holidays.  I'd still suggest that in the long run it's better to disclose to at least the people you are physically living with.

[stevevaboy]

Just wanted to add a few cents into the pot...  As far as side-affects I wouldn't sweat it - period.  The worst reaction I had was a blotchy rash on my torso, which never itched or anything uncomfortable, and it went away VERY quickly.

As far as keeping your meds a secret, that's your choice, but one possible problem there might be if you have to keep one of the meds refrigerated - just a thought.

Good luck!

Steve