Question
How to I restart treatment if I stopped three months ago?
15 October 2016. Related: Adherence, All topics.
Hi, I have been out of treatment for three months. How do i re start my treatment again?
Answer
Hi
Please either contact your old doctor or clinic, or if this is not possible, register at a new clinic.
It is okay to tell the doctor everything that happened and then just to restart.
If your viral load was undetectable when you stopped, you can restart with the same combinations.
Hi Thokozile,
Is there any reason why your daughter chose to stop taking ARVs? I’m asking as even if she’s had an operation she still needed to take her meds.
If your daughter hasn’t let her HIV doctor/nurse know that she’s missed 3 months of meds, she’ll need to do this. Ideally the doctor/nurse will check her CD4 count as well as her viral load.
As your daughter has been off meds for 3 months her viral load will have rebounded, once back on treatment this will drop again.
Yes your daughter can start to use ARVs again, it’s important that she does. She should still be able to use the ones that she was taking before. She should however consult her doctor/nurse.
My daughter stopped taking her arvs(idomune) 3 months back.She had a gallstone operation but she is fine now.Can she continue to take them?
Hi Kisto,
Is there any particular reason why you’ve missed 3 weeks worth of meds?
Though you’ve missed 3 weeks of meds, you’re not going to die. Your viral load will however rebounded. You’re going to need to talk to your doctor about this. It’s also important that you restart taking ARVs.
I have 3 weeks without taking my medication,iam scared that i might die…
Hi Aggy,
I’m sorry to hear your husband has stopped taking ARVs. As you know, restarting ART can benefit to your husband’s health.
Can I ask if your husband stopped because of side effects? If so, it’s a good idea for him to call the doctor. He can ask what other meds there are that will be easier for him to take. He can talk to the doctor about his symptoms and ask what treatment is available for these.
He could also ask the doctor if he can access support services to help him restart HIV treatment.
My husband stopped taking Arvs 6months ago.now he is always complaining of body aches and tiredness. He is always sleeping and and his mouth is always dry.i m having difficulties in convincing him to get back to his Doctor because he oppose that decision. What sould i do,its like i am watching him dying slowly please help
Hi Stephen,
Are you taking Trivenz in the morning or at another time during the day when you are awake? Trivenz is another name for Atripla. You can read here that you should take it before bedtime, on an empty stomach (or not with a high fat meal). Taking it in early in the day can make you feel dizzy. But you might not feel this side effect when you’re asleep.
Losing taste in the mouth is not a reported side effect of Trivenz. But if you have symptoms in your mouth, such as mouth ulcers or another kind of rash please have a doctor look and find out what’s wrong.
It’s not a good idea to stop taking meds without talking to the doctor first. Can you get in touch with your doctor by phone or some other way to discuss this? But if these symptoms are severe you should try to access a clinic near you in Nigeria. Here is a link to a guide about how side effects are graded.
since I started taking in trivenz 3 weeks back.am always feeling dizzy and losing taste in my mouth… and currently am in Nigeria for a week and my doctor is in south africa…should I stop taking in until I see my doctor when back in south africa
Hi Z,
Because you’ve defaulted its important that you tell your doctor, this is because you could have become resistant to the Odimune (Atenef is the same thing as Odimune). If you have the meds won’t work like they should do.
I was on Odimune for 1 year and stopped for 18 months. Was at the clinic yesterday and was given Winthrop Isoniazid for preventing TB and Atenef for HIV. I had not disclosed that I had defaulted. Will this treatment be OK for me.?