How far are we from HIV/AIDS cure ?

[Jili]

Will there ever be a cure for HIV in the not so distant future-say 15 years or so ? I wish this virus can be eradicated in my lifetime. Taking a tablet that makes me drunk and suicidal everyday is a constant reminder that I'm living with this virus. I wish there could also be an injection instead of taking this tablet everyday. In my country there aren't many first line options, it's only a generic version of Atripla. I heard they will introduce a new tablet that has dolutegravir in my country -South Africa around May. Everyday is a struggle, I struggle to sleep and struggle to wake up if I happen to get 30 minutes of sleep each night. I only wish there can be a cure for HIV in my lifetime.

[Griffon]

Hi Jilli , I remember you posting about a year ago , and I'm sorry to hear that treatment is not going so well for you .

I had similar problems with the drug Sustiva ( efavirenz ) that I was first treated with . It is well known that there are a whole pile of side affects with this drug .

If your medication is making you giddy can you not ( if you don't already ) take your tablets at night so that the worst of its affects are whilst you are asleep ?

As for a cure , the HIV virus appears to be a difficult one to deal with because of its ability to ' hide ' in the body .

Hopefully you will be able to change your medication soon and then you will be able to enjoy life again .

[Jili in reply to Griffon]

I take the pill at night and it keeps me awake, and if it happens that I sleep then horrible dreams and thoughts of suicide will wake me up

[Griffon in reply to Jili]

Yes I had the exact same problem - I had nightmares so bad that I was afraid to go to sleep . I also started to suffer anxiety , and if you knew me you would know I'm not at all an anxious person .

All this stopped once my medication was changed , and now HIV is no problem at all in my life . All you can hope for is to change the drugs you are on as soon as possible , and then I'm sure you will be a much happier person .

[Jili in reply to Griffon]

I wish we had options, in my country-South Africa- it's only this drug or nothing as first line medication and nothing else. I've become so anxious ever since I started taking this pill in April 2017. I literally have no life now, the thought of taking this pill drives me crazy

[Griffon in reply to Jili]

I do understand . The anxiety I suffered was mild , but I could see that if it got worse it would have a serious affect on ones life . I wish I could help , but all I can offer is to suggest you keep telling yourself that it is only the drug making you feel like this .

Can you not push for a change , or even buy a different HIV drug yourself ?

[Jili in reply to Griffon]

Nurses at the clinic say if they change me they'll change me to the last line of defence which is the only available option. Buying the medication will cost me twice my salary every month. It's a difficult situation that I find myself in.

[Griffon in reply to Jili]

What is the last line of defence ?

[Jili]

If I remember correctly, they gave me three drug names which are raltegravir, etravirine and darunavir. They said those drugs are expensive and only given to people who are resistant to the first line regimen. So basically they can't change me because I'm not resistant to the first line regimen even though I'm experiencing horrendous side effects.

[Chrissuffolk]

I had exactly the same problems with Efavirenz. I could only cope for 4 months and I begged to be changed. That was many years ago now and I am actually on Darunavir and I have virtually no side effects, maybe a dodgy tummy sometimes but vs the emotional issues I had with Efavirenz it’s a walk in the park and I feel just about normal, I work full time and am healthy.

We are so lucky here in the UK as we get to makes choices about our healthcare which I don’t think we are fully appreciative of.

My heart goes out to you and is giving you a big hug.

I hope that you can convince your nurses to change you over, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t change later - medically it wouldn’t be an issue to swap back if you had to, I don’t know if they would let you though.

If you can try to remember how strong you are to be able to tolerate the medication, it’s only your head you really have to conquer, I know it’s not easy but keep trying love xxx