Question
Can partying explain my viral load increase?
12 November 2010. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Changing treatment, Resistance.
Hi
I have been on medications for about 2 years. I am on atazanavir, ritonavir and truvada. I have been undetectable for about 1.8 years and my CD4 is 900, but a blood test taken last week returned a viral load 3,560.
I have been called by my clinic this morning to come in for a new blood test which i did this afternoon. I had the impression that the nurse were worried and I am terrified now. I will have to wait another week to see if I ll be fine. They said that such a result can’t be a blip.
How can a result of viral load 3,560 return to undetectable within 7 days?
Do you think that because I have been partying and took some recreational drugs few days before my blood test, it could have affected my viral load?
Answer
Hi
Thanks for your question and the chance ot post the answer online.
For your personal situation, first get the test confirmed. Laboratory errors, including wrong labeling or mixed samples can explain unexpected results. So the confirmed test will check this is your sample.
Blips are defined differently. They are usually defined as increasing from less than 50 copies to over 200-300 copies/mL. However, I have heard of blips over 2,000 copies/mL that were undetectable on the next test.
Recreational drug use should not have any direct influence on viral load, unless it affected your adherence, and you were late with or missed some of your meds. If you were adherent, and none of the reasons listed below are related, then the partying itself would not be an explanation.
As long as adherence is good, it is very rare for someone whose viral load has been undetectable for over a year to have rebound in viral. In the UK this is less than 5% of people each year.
Reasons for this include:
- Missing or being late with medication. Strict adherence is always important.
- Drug interactions with other medications. Does your doctor or HIV pharmacist know about all the drugs and medications you use?
- Poor drug absorption. Do you have other health problems. for example, diarrhoea.
- Other infections. Infections that activates the immune system, sometimes causes HIV viral load to increase – for example, flu, vaccinations, or some other sexually transmitted infections.
If the viral load is confirmed at a similar or higher level, your doctor will probably discuss the options for changing treatment. You should also have a resistance test whenever viral load is confirmed over 500-1000 copies/mL when on treatment to inform this choice.
Hi Cyril, it sounds like your sister might already have developed drug resistance to some or all of here HIV meds. She should talk to here doctor about this and whether an alternative combination is available. Diet is not having any effect here.
my sister”s viral load is increasing monthly from 1740 to 7400 to 10400 respectively,she is taking arvS on time,my worry is she eats milk almost daily ,she doesn’t eat vegetables but do eat fruits,can the milk destroy the medication?
Hi Saraphine, I though I answered this before. You clinic is doing the right thing to check the viral load again. IT is best to wait for these results first and it might be undetectable again.
My viral load is above 1000 and they said I must take another test. This is confusing me bcz I use condom and take my pill on time I’m not a party person.
Hi Saraphine. Without more information about your treatment history it is difficult to comment. I would need to know more about your CD4 and viral load history an your current treatment. There might be a chance that your combination needs to be changed, even though you have been really careful with adherence.
My viral load is above 1000 and they said I must take another test. this is confusing me bcz I use condom and take my pill on time. I’m not a party person.
Hi Lawrence, I would need more information to be able to comment. How high is viral load now, how long has you mother been on treatment and what were her treatments and previous results etc.
hey my mum is hiv positive an her viralload is going up I dont know what is the cause of that can u please help me on that or is it cause my be by defaulting on her medication I just need to know
Hi
Everyone misses meds at sometime. so long as this is just a one-off and not happening regularly, then this will be fine.
Hi I missed taking ma arvs yesterday cz I fell asleep early den I was alredy asleep when it was tym 2 take dem,shud I b worried?