Question
I am waking up with a dry mouth…
1 May 2024. Related: All topics, Newly diagnosed, Side effects.
Hi, I’m a 22 year old male, and I was recently diagnosed with HIV Positive. I’ve been on my ART Medications ever since. Recently, I’ve been having difficulty sleeping at night, because my entire mouth and outside lips dry up. So uncomfortably I have to wake up several times at night to drink water. Is this condition gonna stay with me for the rest of my life?
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Have you now started treatment and how are you adjusting to being HIV positive?
Do you know your current CD4 count and viral load?
If you have started, what is the name of the medication you are taking and what time of day do you take it?
Having a dry mouth is not a specifically HIV associated symptom. Have you spoken to your doctor about this and what have you tried to help?
Josh
Hi Paul, thanks. This sounds very specific but if your clinic thinks this might be DILS, can they confirm this. I don’t know anything about DILS but the wiki summary (not always a good source but sometimes good for an overview and references) refers to low CD4/CD8 ratio and treatment with steroids. It also sugeests other causes in the differential diagnosis section.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_infiltrative_lymphocytosis_syndrome.
Although some of this info is dated – ie the term HAART hasn’t been used for over 20 years, some of the reference articles are more recent, suggesting this might still be relevant.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0896841115000116
I have been suffering severely as I’m being woken up several times each night with a severe dry mouth and throat, it all started when my clinic switched my antivirals to another combination back in 2019, and even though I was switched back to what I originally was on I am still waking up several times each night with a severe dry mouth and throat, my hiv clinic don’t know what’s causing this they say it may be a result of hiv itself even though I have been undetectable for 25 years, could be DILS ? As my hiv clinic have just left me like this to suffer and not looked in to this or referred me to anyone, even though I have clearly expressed this is effecting me in every way,
Hello Kamyczka and thanks for getting in touch.
From what you write I can’t understand any link of your symptoms to HIV.
Moreover, a person living with HIV on effective treatment can’t pass on HIV to their sexual partners.
Below is a link to more information
https://i-base.info/u-equals-u/
Please don’t get me wrong, I feel for you and everything you go through.
However, this is a site to help people living with HIV with their treatments.
In my opinion a general practitioner should be following your case and make some efforts to help you.
Hello,
6 years ago I had contact with someone living with HIV. I have got symptoms, I tested negative to all viruses but I still have symptoms. It started with stomach problems, joint pain, now, 6 years later I lost my saliva. Xerostomia is very difficult. I do not take any drugs, I do not smoke or drink alcohol. He was my last partner and have not been in a relationship since that due to these symptoms. I think I got a new virus, which is not detectable by tests. I suppose hepatitis delta in salivary glands. Anyone similar symptoms with HIV?
Hi Maxwell, your results are conclusive. You do not have HIV and the symptoms you are currently experiencing are not the result of HIV.
Please see here for more information about testing and transmission: https://i-base.info/guides/testing
Hi I was exposed to hiv 4/6/2023 I had many symptoms related to hiv, I’m scared because i do hiv Elisa test at 1 month , 3 month, 6 months and 1 year still negative. But I still have symptoms
What can I do
Hi Pinkie, what is the problem you have of attending the clinic? and which country are in?
Have you had gaps in your treatment before? and do you know your current CD4 count/viral load?
Hi I have been living with HIV for the past 10 years. Now I have a problem of going to the public clinic to fetch my meds so now the ones I had are finished what should I do…