Q and A

Question

I like taking one pill a day but have side effects, what should I do?

Hello,
I have been taking meds now for 2 years and started taking Atripla 6 weeks ago. I’m now finding the side effects hard to cope with, especialy the mood swings and feeling anxious all the time. Will this get any easier in time? If so how long will it take? I don’t want to bother my clinic Doctor with this because he might take me off it and put me back on my old meds which were Combivir (AZT and 3TC) and Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) 6 tabs a day. For me just taking 1 tablet a day is wonderful after having to take 6 a day but the low days are hard to endure.

Answer

Thank you for your question.

Most side effects will lessen 2-4 weeks after starting treatment. If they continue you then need to decide whether you want to change treatment or not. The symptoms you are describing are very common with efavirenz (found in Atripla). For more information about these side effects please follow this link.

Whilst 1 pill once a day is great, you need to weigh up how low the mood swings make you feel and whether or not they are affecting your quality of life. If the mood swings and anxiety get very bad then you might want to think about changing your medication. Other options with low pill counts would include Truvada (1 pill once a day) plus atazanavir/ritonavir (2 pills once a day). This combination would be 3 pills taken at the same time. I know this is still a lot but if it makes your life more enjoyable then you might want to consider this as an option.

Atripla remains the only 1-pill-once-a-day (fixed-dose combination or FDC) treatment at the moment for people in Western countries. However, there are others in the pipeline that should become available soon. For more information, look at the sections mentioning rilpivirine and Quad in the article on pipeline treatment by following this link.

At the end of the day whatever treatment you decide to take is up to you and whilst your doctor would need to have an input they cannot force you to stop taking the Atripla. You may find talking about your side effects with your clinic doctor could help.

Please let us know how you get on.

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