Possibilities of treatment boosting CD4 Counts?

[Ihavehope]

Well I am in a very BAD situation. My CD4 counts that I took on 12/19 were 240 and 3wks later it was lower.

Will medication boost my CD4 counts dramatically or will it just lower viral load?

[Boo Radley]

Ihavehope,

What is your viral load?  What was that last CD4 count?  How many blood tests have been done over how long a period?  A CD4 count within the same range in 3 weeks isn't unusual.  If you have recently tested poz and have not had blood work done more than a couple of times you might want to wait for another month if your viral load isn't very high (i.e., <100,000).

HIV medications almost always help CD4 counts to rise again to a "safe" level of 300 and (much) higher but it takes more time for some people than others.  The important thing to remember is the pattern of your numbers over time, not the results of one set of lab work. 

I hope your situation is better than you think it is!

Boo

[poet]

Try to take a deep breath, slow down and read Boo's post?  The downturn could be real, could be a blip (see recent threads on this).  If your CD4 count was lower, as Boo asked, what do you mean?  Finally a quick review of threads will show that some posters do see a 'dramatic' boost in CD4 counts over time.  Some posters, like myself, see things holding steady over the long term.  The long term is what we all need to look at, not the quick turns on the road.  Best, Win

[fondeveau]

Well, I had VL of 30,000 and CD4 of 385 when I started treatment - three weeks after starting Atripla, the VL was 300 and CD4 had jumped to 500.  Won't know more til late February, but a goal of treatment is to reduce the viral load and increase the CD4.

[koi1]

Yes!

That is the hope that we all have here. If you look at the profiles on here there is a definite trend of cd4s going up and viral loads going down. Don't worry. I just started sustiva and truvada and am hoping for a boost. I know it could be a small one but I am hoping for a definite trend. This combination is causing minimal side effects for me so far! I hope it pays off labswise.

rob

[Eldon]

It takes time for the climb. You will get there.

[aztecan]

Hey Hope,

To answer your question, the meds goal is to reduce the viral load. This allows the body  to recover, i.e. increased CD4s.

The meds don't, in and of themselves, increase CD4s.

Boo hit the nail on the head. Some bounce back quickly, others more slowly. The important thing is the pattern over time.

I know its nerve-wracking. Do you know what your viral loads were?

HUGS,

Mark

[Ihavehope]

Viral Load was 26,000