Hello my friends, I am starting my therapy today and I am feeling both excited and scared. I am given Truvada, Prezista 800mg and Norvir 100mg.
What do you know about this regimen and please confirm whether I should take 1 pill of each at the same time, every day WITH food.
The reason I'm asking is because I am not sure. My mind is elsewhere and I don't want to disturb anyone at the clinic again, they've been so kind with me..
HI there fella,
Firstly you should never worry about contacting your clinic. They would much rather you get your medication right. To them this is fundamental and they will be very familiar with your situation. I know it is all a bit new and strange but things really will settle down.
There really is no reason to feel scared abut taking that combination all three of these drugs are easy to take and have very few noticeable side effects if any. I have taken all three of these drugs before and I never had any problems.
Food increases tenofovir levels by about 30% and as you are starting treatment this is a good thing.
Again taking Prezista (Darunavir) with food increases these levels by another 30%.
Norvir (ritonavir) is there to boost the other two medications.
Taking your meds at the same time every day and with food is very important as it prevents the medicine in your body falling below the level that is needed to stop the virus replicating.
With this combination "Food" dose not have to be a large meal a substantial snack would be enough, say a banana with a glass of milk and a Mars bar would suffice if you where out and about.
It is good to have a dose with you all the time or a dos at work or in the car. I used to work at a place where we were all living with HIV and the fridge was full of pill bottles as we all had that extra dose at work ;-).
NEVER run out of pills always contact your clinic in good time if you are running low, personally I never leave myself with less than three weeks worth of pills.
A really good web site for treatment information is i-base.info they also run a treatment help line and an online Q&A service.
I hope this helps
All the best,
Paul
One more thing..and this is a bit weird, maybe I should put it on a different post but I am using Minoxidil and a Ketokonazole shampoo (no pills, just shampoo) in order to treat hair loss (that's Regaine and Fungoral/Nizoral shampoo). Does anyone know of any side effects with the aforementioned regimen?
nausea, abdominal pain mostly which subsides fairly quickly... make sure to eat something first. Rash, headache also possible side effects. Where do you live? There is also Prezcobix which combines the Prezista with a booster in one pill. Ron
As Paul has said , contact the clinic ( that is what they are there for ) for support and advice.
I am on the same combo (once a day ) which with my job is brilliant . Breakfast is the only regular timed meal . I'm a bus driver so do work very odd hours .
When i "retired" from London to Salisbury , i realised i would have to educate my new clinic ! they were insisting i should be taking medication at night with my evening meal , it took a while for them to understand that we should take our medication when we want to take it , not when they want us to ! But always stick to the same time period and with food .
Having been on meds for too long to remember i do still have a routine , my pills are put out at night before i go to bed ( along with my breakfast things )
taking with food not only helps boost but also lines the stomach .
Again , never worry about contacting your clinic , ibase, or any other support resource , that is what they are there for .
never be afraid of asking !
Stephen
I am on the exact same three. I was diagnosed 3 years ago. I am in almost perfect health
Always take your meds together. That's why it is called a "cocktail". Always take them with whole foods, not fast food if you can keep from it. The more natural fats in the food the better the absorption. Take it at the same time every day. And, take it every day to keep from building resistance.
I could then add a teaspoon of olive oil to my food since it is fat that's required!
I hope this regimen works for me. The situation here is not as it used to be I'm told. The genotype test won't come out for weeks but I had to start therapy fast so let's hope this one will work. I read somewhere that the good thing with PI regimens is that they are difficult to build resistance so that might translate that it will be effective for me even if my virus is not resistant free. I don't know...
Second day today and I feel ok. No side effects
hi there im on the same dose and type of meds and have been for 3 yrs now I tend to take (as I call em big red big blue and big white) around 7pm the key so I was told try and keep taking them same time every day so I just take all three together before or after food its not been a problem for me. the one thing I will say ive gained weight on them but I guess its price ive to pay to live. I do feel lots better on them I was always feeling poorly no nrg and my mood was low but ive got more nrg I feel better in myself plus I don't feel poorly all the time my cd4 count is well up and im non detectable as in viral load so for me its all good. hope this has helped you out cheers dave xx
I take the same too I get a few side effects like diahoerea it's not so bad now it helps if I take it on full stomach also it causes insomnia other than that am fine with it good luck
Thank you! I only get stomach annoyances and wind so far, but today I had zero side effects and that worries me a lot! Maybe my snack wasn't adequate? A yoghurt with probiotics, 2/3 of a big banana and 4 bites of a cheese pie. I did read however, that the type and amount of food doesn't matter...
I was recently diagnosed and put on the same cocktail mix. while in the hospital it dropped my viral load from over 50,000 to under 250. I have to remember to eat with them. So far no side effects. Never be afraid to contact your clinic with questions. I work for a doctor and would rather have a patient ask then not get the help they need.
I'm on the same. I stopped trying to eat with them as it made me feel sick, I just take them in the morning, I've been on them for over a year now and I love them.
Eating with them is the best advice but I just wanted people to know you don't have to. I take them at 7am and usually eat something small at 10:30.
Had symptoms of swollen tonsils, aching and not well for sometime, but HIV 4th generation duo negative, day 17, 31, 60 and 82. HIV + or -?
Having some real anxietes
Looking for a friend