Question
I'm tired of meds, but people tell me to see a professional?
25 November 2011. Related: Adherence, All topics, Living with HIV long-term, Side effects.
I’m sick and tired of hiv med and side effects. its been 3 years on meds and causing me all kinds of problems. everybodys answer is to talk to a professional and i already have. I got this hiv I want to make my own mind up to stop meds and die. why is everybody answer to talk to a professional the answer?
Answer
Hi
Because I don’t know anything about you 0r your history it is difficult to comment specifically.
When people get side effects with one drug they can usually benefit from switching to another. This will depend on your treatment hisotry and the type of problems you are having.
You also sound unhappy and maybe you are also depressed. Sometimes talking to a counsellor or other professional can help you see new options. When you are sad or depressed it is difficult to see other things that might help and so your friends sound like they want you to get the support to know whether you really are this tired of life.
If the problem is all based on the meds, then finding alternative drugs might help you feel that life is not so pointless.
If one of your HIV drugs is efavirenz (Sustiva/Stocrin) then this med could be why you are feeling so down. Efavirenz can affect your moods and feleling and for a few people this can be extremely severe. Within a week of changing meds they become a different person.
I feel sorry for this person too. We are all here not because we want to but because we need support to be able to cope this. No one said it’s going to be easy but we have to do it at least for the people who care about us if not for ourselves.
I also suffered a lot of depression when I started atripla about 7 months ago but I used to keep a very close relationship with my doctor and would advise her about each and every change that I felt. Sometimes I would stay awake the whole night and feel like a zombie at work the following morning but she gave me some tablets to help with anxiety and before I knew it, the side effects were something of the past. So please hang in there it’s going to be ok.
Without evidence to support a claim for ‘energy’ I am sceptical of supplements. They may be harmless or just a waste of money. The website for this product has very sparse evidence, which for a research based pharma company is a little weird.
I am really sorry for this person,but I suggest he must take his med plus try join support groups and leave a normal life. I even take 3month to remember tht I am +! Gut luck. I also used Pharmatron and think it helped my energy.