How Do You Feel If You Miss a Dose

[oksikoko]

Hey, all. So, I almost never miss doses, but I slept through all of Sunday and missed both my Stribild and aripiprazole. When I woke up this morning, I felt unsteady and everything looked like a movie in slow motion, like I could sometimes see two frames at once. I took both of them right away. It's been a few hours, but I still feel completely unsteady plus I keep crying for no reason. I also feel like I could throw up at any time. It's more embarrassing than anything, though I wouldn't want to operate heavy machinery right now.

Does anything like this happen to you if you miss a dose? I'm assuming it's mostly the aripiprazole, but I've skipped that on its own before and felt nothing like this. I've never missed both.

Thanks,
Lee

[GoForIt]

I am new to all of this so I am not sure I am 100% correct.  But from what I've read you could potentially miss 1 out of every 20 or 30 times and it wouldn't hurt drastically.  I believe the half life in these new medications is long and while you should never miss a dose if you can...missing one dose has a very low chance of being problematic.  But as we all already know, taking your meds on time each day is key to seeing the best results.  I have just recently started meds but have not missed any.  Try setting a phone alarm or maybe a clock alarm next to your bed.

[Jeff G]

I would bet its the missed dose of aripiprazole. If I miss doses of my antidepressant I have noticed almost identical side effects , especially since I'm now taking double what I once did .   

[oksikoko]

Thanks, GoForIt. I'm not concerned about resistance, though. Just curious if anyone else felt such drastic consequences of skipping. 'Drastic', ha. Dizziness and crying aren't all that serious.

Thanks, Jeff. I've skipped it before and not felt this. I'm wondering if it's a consequence of skipping both. Aripiprazole is cleared by the same enzyme that cobicistat suppresses. Suddenly I had a bunch of it maybe, and it cleared even my extra stores of aripiprazole? Pop science at its best.

Feeling better now, just super anxious like I'm not usually. And still dizzy, but I'm not a surgeon, so no worries there.

[Jeff G]

This is a classic question for Newt ... Calling on Newt !!! . Its kind of like Samantha calling Dr Bombay , Newt magically appears when you invoke his name , eventually .   

[Miss Philicia]

Every time I've had surgery I've had to skip a dose of my HIV meds, per hospital instructions -- with the exception of my blood pressure medication and even then using only a minute amount of water to get it down.

Or maybe I'm missing the point of this discussion. In short, "how do I feel if I miss a dose"? I feel nothing, because I know it rarely happens.

[Habersham]

Hey - just wondering why you slept all day in the 1st place....

Sorry you're not feeling well. I'm hoping you weren't sick or something. If you attended a cool Halloween party and were exhausted Sunday I'm jealous.  If you've been sleep deprived or sick maybe that's why you are stil dizzy and stuff.

I can't speak to the medical stuff but wondering why you were so tired in the first place. You might still be tired or just woozy from too much sleep.

Take the best care

[buginme2]

I can understand feeling a bit down.  The first time I accidentally missed was about a year or so after starting.  I had gone out with friends for a celebration of sorts and drank and smoked to much and fell asleep (passed out). 

Even though missing one dose after a year of never missing wasn't going to have any issue on me medically, and I knew that, I was still disappointed in myself and a bit bummed.

Physically I probably felt better since I was on.Atripla.at the time and skipping a day helped make you feel normal.

[oksikoko]

Thanks for the notes. No, this was beyond feeling disappointed because I'd missed a dose. I felt like I was seeing double and stuck in marmalade in someone else's depressing movie. I also had brain zaps, but I recognize those from SSRI days, so I'm sure that's the aripiprazole.

I'm pretty eager to go off the stuff (aripiprazole, not Stribild), and if this is what it's gonna be like, phew... I'm thinking this was a combo and that I should be very careful to never miss both simultaneously again. So, that's the takeaway. Only skip one drug at a time, haha.

Habersham, I guess I didn't have any particular reason to be out of bed, so I just stayed in it. I had slept the night before, though only a few hours. My sleep schedule is erratic generally, but I don't usually sleep through an entire day. Fortunately, I didn't miss anything.

[oksikoko]

Every time I've had surgery I've had to skip a dose of my HIV meds, per hospital instructions -- with the exception of my blood pressure medication and even then using only a minute amount of water to get it down.

Or maybe I'm missing the point of this discussion. In short, "how do I feel if I miss a dose"? I feel nothing, because I know it rarely happens.

I mean 'how do you feel physically'. Why do they make you stop HAART for surgery?

[Miss Philicia]

Why do they make you stop HAART for surgery?

linky

General anesthesia relaxes the muscles in your digestive tract and airway that keeps food and acid in your stomach and out of your lungs. That's why it's important to follow your doctor's instructions about when to stop eating and drinking prior to surgery. In most cases, you should start fasting about six hours before your procedure.

[witch]

Every time I've had surgery I've had to skip a dose of my HIV meds, per hospital instructions -- with the exception of my blood pressure medication and even then using only a minute amount of water to get it down.

Do you skip the HIV meds because they interact with the anesthesia or for other reasons? I may have surgery soon and wonder if I should do the same. I'm on Complera and it definitely interacts with almost anything.

[oksikoko]

linky

General anesthesia relaxes the muscles in your digestive tract and airway that keeps food and acid in your stomach and out of your lungs. That's why it's important to follow your doctor's instructions about when to stop eating and drinking prior to surgery. In most cases, you should start fasting about six hours before your procedure.

Thanks for the info! Luckily my medicine, constitution and genetics make me invulnerable to the diseases of mortals. I plan to never have surgery.

Lee

PS (Because I'm afraid of that thing where you're actually awake even though they've anesthetised you and you end up being a conscious participant in your own surgery. That's not irrational, is it?)

PPS [knocks wood]

[mitch777]

Thanks for the info! Luckily my medicine, constitution and genetics make me invulnerable to the diseases of mortals. I plan to never have surgery.

Lee

PS (Because I'm afraid of that thing where you're actually awake even though they've anesthetised you and you end up being a conscious participant in your own surgery. That's not irrational, is it?)

PPS [knocks wood]

You're too much.

[Habersham]

And I am never going to have a catheter installed. That just plain freaks me the fkc out!

BTW - I feel perfectly normal when I miss a dose of meds.

Not signing up for a buttscope even if everyone else is

[oksikoko]

And I am never going to have a catheter installed. That just plain freaks me the fkc out!

BTW - I feel perfectly normal when I miss a dose of meds.

Not signing up for a buttscope even if everyone else is

Yeah, I had one of those put in once. Yikes.

As for the sans-meds wonkiness, the consensus among therapist and psychiatrist is that it was the aripiprazole wot's to blame.

Is a colonoscopy surgery or more of a procedure? I don't consider it surgery unless there's a scalpel (real or laser), but I pulled that definition out of my ass, so...

[Habersham]

A colonoscopy is when they give you good drugs and stick a camera up your butt

Apparently, Katie Couric's colon is very perky

The bad part is you have to drink nasty stuff that gives you exploding diearhea the nite before

Been there - done that

Your definition makes sense

[a2z]

It's more embarrassing than anything, though I wouldn't want to operate heavy machinery right now.

Does anything like this happen to you if you miss a dose? I'm assuming it's mostly the aripiprazole, but I've skipped that on its own before and felt nothing like this. I've never missed both.

THAT!  I feel incredibly stupid when I miss a dose.  I'm fortunate that even though I thought my adherence would be TERRIBLE, I maybe take 6 doses of Truvada late per year, today being one of them (I never truly skip a dose, I adjust by 4 hour increments until it's back on schedule.)  Isentress, I have more problems with remembering the PM dose of it and probably miss one every week or two.   Thankfully, I've never been anything but undetectable since on it.

[hope_for_a_cure]

I was late once.  Woke up and realized that I had not taken my Atripla.  I jumped out of bed and immediately took it.  Lucky for me it was only 6 hours late and I was finishing up my first year so tried not to sweat it too much.  Things my have been different if I was in my first week or two of treatment.

I logged on here in the middle of the night and got a reassuring message within minutes from Hellraiser that really I should not worry.  He was correct.  My ID Spec basically told me the same thing when I got in touch with him the following day.

It does get your attention and I have not missed a dose since.  Don't beat yourself up too much over it... just DONT do it again!  Sending you my best.

J

[WillyWump]

I feel fine. I've learned not to stress over the little things. I rarely miss a dose and because of that, when I do, It's a non event.

-W