hives and allergies

[linlin]

new to this was prescribed Atripla , all was well i was actually sleeping better then usual , no other side effects felt a huge sense of relief then   on day 7 developed hives from head to toe..so went to hospital right away was a sunday ,,winds up I'm allergic to it.. it wasn't just the rash u can get i couldn't breathe etc.. so now I'm trying to get it out of my system benadrly lots of water, doc didn't want to do the steroid thing , and said i will have to go back to doc again and try another drug meanwhile a new $100.00 bottle going  in the garbage i cant afford to keep trying different meds. i missed 2 days of work unpaid and  plus i had to lie to my mom who knows nothing about all this and tell her i ate something funky..so if it happends again i got to come up with something .. i cant handle all this.. I'm allergic to alot of meds , penicillin etc..and as light skinned as u can be so cant hide it.. what if we cant find the correct combo..   ..anyone know do most of these drugs have similar ingredients that i may be allergic to .. I'm still covered in a red red spotted rash , its burning hot to the touch and itchy and I'm at work so i cant do the benedrly or ill be sleeping ..lol..  HELP

[aztecan]

Hey Linlin,

Sorry for the reaction. It sounds like it was the Sustiva part of Atripla that caused your problem. Sustiva is known to cause a rash for some people, and, in some cases, it can be severe, as you described.

Have you had a resistance test done? That would give you a better idea of what other med combos are available to you.

There are many options that don't include rash, but some have other side effects. Reyataz, for example, sometimes causes people to turn yellow for a few weeks. Nothing serious, but sometimes it is noticeable.
The yellow usually affects the eyes more than the skin.

There is a list of the drugs and their potential side effects here under the treatment section. You might want to peruse it just to become acquainted with the various meds out there.

You should certainly sit down with your doctor and discuss the pros and cons of any new regimens he/she proposes.

Oh, and before you toss the Atripla in the garbage, you might want to ask if there is someone to whom you could donate it. Atripla costs about $1,700 in the States, and being the frugal person I am, I just hate to see things wasted.

HUGS,

Mark

[linlin]

thanks Mark,

i was so scared of the side effects and so relieved it didn't bother me then boom in fact it was so bad last night i went to the er but they wouldn't treat me...!!!!! they didn't have a id doc on call and didn't want to use steroids told me to keep on with the Benadryl which I've been on since sunday and its obviously not working since today I'm worse then i was sunday.. i took a test like u mentioned didn't get results yet but I'm going to switch doctors and start all over 2 days i was trying to contact the doctor and she wasn't available i had  hives, couldn't breathe etc and she wasn't available and had no body else on call that's crazy ..and then the er thing very frustrating.. I'm very sensitive to alot of products, perfumes etc.. so it figures this would happen.. its like a severe sunburn my skin is so hot to touch you could feel the heat from the rash through my clothes its the weirdest thing .. i defiantly dont want to throw the meds i paid alot for them and couldnt afford it so i will bring to new place and ask about the donation thing. thanks so much will keep posting as i go.. this is all so hard for me especially when my mother who doesnt know saw the rash had to tell her i must of ate something etc.. hate lying to her but she couldnt handle it..i know her , a hangnail and she thinks your dying . so this would kill her if she knew..