LeftyBowler300:
My doctor gave me the option to switch from daily Biktarvy to bi-monthly Cabenuva injections. I’m usually of the “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” mentality, and Biktarvy has been working superbly. I’m also skeptical of cab’s longevity. It’s taken me a while to climb CD4, and I don’t want to lose it with a viral rebound ;). However, the paranoia of “Crap, did I take my pill today?!?” *dumps out bottle and counts pills* is something I can most certainly live without. I also wouldn’t mind not having pill bottles to hide when guests come over.
So I’m looking for success/fail stories of people who are or have been on the injection. Do you like it better than pills? Were/Are you able to maintain an undetectable viral load? How convenient/inconvenient is timing the doctor visit for your next injection? Does your butt hurt? ;D
leatherman:
--- Quote from: LeftyBowler300 on May 28, 2022, 03:49:27 pm ---However, the paranoia of “Crap, did I take my pill today?!?” *dumps out bottle and counts pills* is something I can most certainly live without. I also wouldn’t mind not having pill bottles to hide when guests come over.
--- End quote --- totally off the topic you were asking about, but have you thought about a pill organizer? at our house, we keep all bottles of medications in an insulated-zippered lunch bag stored in the closet, while one week's worth of pills is in a weekly pill organizer, hidden in a desk drawer. No one sees our meds and I know if I've taken today's meds. Maybe something like that would help you ;)
Jim Allen:
I'm not sure I know anyone on the bi-monthly injections yet, so if you do switch, please keep us posted on how you get on.
daveR:
Discussed injectables with my Dr during my last visit. I don't think they are even available here yet. Her advise was to wait and see a bit longer. She wasn't even keen on switching me to a two drug oral regime yet as in her opinion they have not been around long enough. I tend to agree with here. Kudos to the guys who do step up and prove the drugs work long term though.
Dave
Matths:
Hi DaveR, reading your comment prompts my response. I can’t follow your doctor’s reasoning at all. There were several clinical trials performed to address the monthly and bi-monthly injections, with and without oral lead-in treatment phase. All these studies clearly demonstrated that this treatment regime works. Now, there are reasons why someone may opt in or out from switching to this treatment. I, for example, opted out because I’m well treated with Dovato. However, the argument to “wait and see” seems awkward to me. Wait for what? See what? The anecdotes of patients and/or other doctors who will provide either single-case “evidence” or biased personal experiences? And both should outweigh the evidence from carefully designed and well-executed clinical trials? If I had to weigh both, I’d trust the clinical trial evidence and use that for guiding my treatment decisions or treatment recommendations. Best Matt