Question
I am taking Atripla and having sleep problems, are the two related?
8 July 2010. Related: All topics, Side effects.
Hi,
I have been on HIV meds for 5 months now. When I began treatment it was on Efavirenz and Truvada and changed to Atripla 3 months ago. When I started treatment I had very few side effects after the second night and had undetectable viral load within 2 weeks.
More recently however I have had greater trouble getting to sleep at night and sometimes waking up shortly after falling asleep. In addition to this it feels as though my heart is beating very quickly in short bursts at this time and I feel agitated. It also feels like I am aware of the blood pumping around my body when I am lying there trying to sleep. Timing wise this is around 2 1/2 – 3 hours after taking the Atripla.
My question is – is this normal or should I be concerned, as I never had these effects before? About 6-7 weeks ago I changed the time I take my meds from 9pm to 10pm. Would this have an effect? The Internet just throws up something called lactic acidosis. What is this?
I thank you for your help and advice on here!
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Any symptoms relating to faster heartbeat or changes in rhythm should be reported to your doctor. This is important enough to do this before your next routine appointment. Your doctor should then examine your carefully and specifically look at any risk factors for heart disease.
Changing the timing of your dosing is unlikely to have had any effect. An hour either way on this combination would not be expected to make a difference.
Sleep disorders such as the one you are describing are commonly associated with efavirenz, a component of Atripla. For more detailed information it may help for you to read this section on the i-Base ‘Avoiding and Managing Side Effects’ guide.
Lactic acidosis is a build-up of lactic acid, a by-product produced by the body when it breaks down starches and sugars. Symptoms usually include tiredness, vomiting, nausea, pain in the stomach, abdomen or liver, unexplained weight loss, difficulty breathing and poor circulation.
Lactic acidosis is unlikely to be related to your current symptoms as it was mainly associated with earlier nucleosides (‘nukes’) like d4T. If you are interested though there is more information on this please follow this link.
Comment