Question
I have a serious rash from starting treatment – should I stop taking my meds?
25 January 2011. Related: All topics, Changing treatment, Side effects, Starting treatment, Stopping treatment.
I am a 30 year old woman I got tested for HIV in 2009 and was found positive. In April 2010 I developed Kaposi’s Sarcoma but had only a few lesions. In December 2010 my CD4 count was 221 and I started ARVs, within a week I developed a very bad rash and they had to change my medication, I had been on this new drug for two weeks and I developed another rash which gets worse every day and I’m seriously considering stopping taking ARVs altogether because I feel like I was healthier without them and the rash is really affecting me, physically and emotionally. Please advice
Answer
Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear you are having such a hard time taking the HIV medication. Many people experience side effects when starting medication. Some of these side effects lessen 2-4 weeks after starting the meds. If they continue then you should talk to your HIV doctor about changing your meds again until you find the right combination for you. You should not stop taking the meds or you will become sick very quickly and you could end up with resistance to some of the meds. This will limit your treatment choice in the future.
Although many drugs are linked to rash, the severity of rash and how long it lasts varies considerably. With some drugs, if you develop a rash during the first few weeks of therapy you must report this immediately to your doctor. This is because it can sometimes lead to very serious reactions. These drugs are abacavir (Ziagen, and in Trizivir and Kivexa), nevirapine (Viramune), efavirenz (Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence), fosamprenavir (Lexiva) and T-20 (enfuvirtide, Fuzeon).
Other rashes are more likely to be mild and disappear without treatment, or can be easily treated with antihistamine drugs such as cetirizine (Zirtek) or loratadine (Clarityn).
It would help me give you a more specific answer if you could tell me the meds you took previously and the ones you are on now?
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I’ve been complaining about the rash on my face since i started arvs,, it’s almost a year now, the Dr keep on saying it’s will go away n I’m already depressed now. please help me guys.
Hi Zinhle.
Have you tried using another combination of ARVs? Have you seen a skin specialist? These two approaches could help.
Hi Lesego,
The rash could be due to lots of different reasons, please see a doctor.
Started developing rush that comes in cycles,,, what does it mean nd it’s not burning or itchy
Hi Roller,
Your HIV is under control, so I’m not sure what the black spots are. This is something that you’ll need to talk to a dermatologist about.
Hi, am Roller my viral load is 50 or can’t be detected as explained by my doc. But l still get rushes that leave deep black sports all over my body. Plse help
Hi KK,
If you have a rash, this needs to be discussed with your doctor.
Hi it’s been two weeks I have started taking tribus. I developed some itch rush on my hands and thighs could this be the after effect of the treatment. Just curious.
Hi Siphosakhe,
I’m sorry to hear you have a bad rash. But as Charlotte says, if you have a bad rash in the first few weeks of HIV treatment you should go to see your doctor very quickly. That’s because some HIV meds can cause a serious reaction. This includes efavirenz which is one of the meds in Tribuss.
Do you have access to your CD4 count and viral load results? Please let us know.
Hey I started taking Tribuss about 3weeks ago and I have a bad rash on my face, i also developed some painful lumps on my right under arm……….is it because of the treatment?