Question
Can I take Tribuss with food?
5 July 2012. Related: All topics, Side effects, South Africa, Starting treatment.
Hi! I am 35 years and started taking my tribuss pill in February 2012. My problem is that I cant take the pill on an empty stomach. Can this make the pill to disfunction?
Answer
Hi,
Thank-you for your question.
Tribuss is a generic combination treatment which contains three HIV drugs. These are efavirenz, FTC and tenofovir. In the UK, this combination in a single pill is called Atripla.
Tribuss is usually recommended to be taken on an empty stomach is to reduce side effects. This is up to 60% more efavirenz is absorbed if it is taken with a high fat meal.
This would mean there is more efavirenz than you need and you may be more likely to get side effects. Side effects from efavirenz include dizziness, mood changes and sleep disturbance. Please follow this link for more information about efavirenz side effects.
However, the increased levels of efavirenz are connected to a high fat meal.
If you prefer to take Tribuss with some food this is fine, just not with fatty foods.
Please let me know if you have any more questions!
Im on tribuss for the past five months and my partner has not started with the treatment,we slept without using a condom several times,what effect does this have on both of us. where can I get female condoms because I get dry quicly and develop rash when we have sex.
Also: when the cd 4 goes up does the viral load go down?
Hi Jack, please see this recent question for information about cure research.
Hi Rebecca tell us please what are findings? Are there any possibilities to find a cure for hiv if yes when ?
Hi Jack,
Missing one dose of your meds is unlikely to cause any problems. The more often you miss doses, or are late taking your meds, the more likely it becomes that you could develop resistance. Almost everybody will miss or forget a dose at some point. This is very different to missing doses regularly. Don’t panic about this, but do try to make sure that you have a plan for how to avoid it in the future. Follow this link to read more about what to do if you forget a dose.
Hi, last time i checked i was 574 CD4 count and 40 viral load which means i am undectatable. Now i miss one dose on 31 December 2012 i was having few drinks of brandy and i end up drunk to much will it affect me. please reply urgently?
Hi Slay,
I’m not aware of tribuss affecting sperm, but if you have noticed a change in your sperm please speak to your doctor about this. Usually, semen is a white or off white fluid that within about 30 minutes turns runny and clear. Any changes in colour or smell could be a sign of an infection. Please follow this link for more information.
Hi Rebecca
I have realised that my sperms are no longer think and have become more liquid like since i started using Tribuss the past 8 months, is this a cause for concern or part of the side effects?
Hello,
There is a drug interaction between Tegretol (also known as carbamazepine) and efavirenz that means that you may absorb less of both drugs when taken together. The recommendation is to use a different anticonvulsant that doesn’t have this interaction. You should speak to your doctor or pharmacist about this as it is likely that you will need to change to a different treatment. You can read more about this interaction on the hiv-druginteractions website. This information is very technical but it may help to print this out and show it to your doctor or pharmacist.
Hi I’ve been taking tenofovir/ efavirenz and 3TC for more than a year and I am an epileptic taking tegrettol, I heard that Antiepileptics might interact with my arvs.is this true?
Hi Thandiswa,
It is very important to try to take your treatment everyday at the same time. By missing doses or being late taking them you increase the chance of developing resistance, which would mean your treatment could stop working. If you are having problems taking your medicines try to work out why, and how you could improve this. Speak to your doctor or a support group for advice. There are lots of tips about adherence (taking your meds properly) in our guide to starting treatment.
If you realise you have missed a dose, take it as soon as you remember. BUT, if you only realise when you’re going to take your next dose, do not take a double dose.
How often are you late/ do you miss doses? Do you know why you find this difficult?