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!
Hi Zinhle,
Tribuss and Odimune contain the same drugs. The different names are because they are made by different companies. They work in the same way and are both as effective as the other. There is no problem changing from one to the other.
Hie doc I’m pregmant about 6months I use a tribuss tablet so now doctor give me a odimune I like to now is working same is not a problem to change
Hi Thaps,
The recommendation to take Tribuss on an empty stomach is because for most people this makes side effects easier. If you find taking it with food actually makes side effects easier it is fine to do this. This will not change how well the pill works so long as you remember to take it everyday at the same time.
Hi
I hav been taking tribuss for 3 moonths now. I’ve read that I shud take this on an empty stomach. The problem is if I do I can’t sleep @ all. So I’ve been with the pill and I can even eat after taking the pill. I nwwd to know if this will affect the effect of the pill. I sleep very well if am full. But I don’t sleep @ all if I follow the “no eating”
This is not a good idea, unless you normally sleep during the day and are awake at night. The recommendation is so that you are asleep when the drug levels are highest a few hours after taking Tribuss. If you take it during the day, you are likely to feel drowsy, dizzy and disorientated.
Can I take Tribuss in the mornings instead of at night?
Hi Connie,
Most people, but not everybody, experience some side effects in the first few weeks of treatment. Usually these are mild and easy to manage- and they generally get better after the first few weeks. For information about what to expect see our side effects guide.
Body shape changes are not common with Atripla. These changes are much more often linked to older HIV drugs such as AZT and d4T. It is very unlikely that you will experience body shape changes because of this treatment. If you do notice any changes, or any symptoms that you are worried about do speak to your doctor about this.
Hi I will start my treatment soon the Dr prescribed Atripla ,my worry is
The side effects so I wanted to know if everybody get side effects or not
And I also want to find out how can one prevent body changes as I was told
That this regimen can change your body shape as one of the side effects.
Hi Chance,
I’m very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis and your miscarriage. This must be a very difficult time for you, do you have any support to help you deal with this?
Unfortunately miscarriage is not uncommon in general, whether a woman has HIV or not. Atroiza is not linked to an increased risk of miscarriage so changing to a different drug wouldn’t affect the risk of future miscarriages. Your doctor or midwife should be able to tell you if they know of any reason why this happened, or if you were just unlucky. The miscarriage association is a UK charity that provides support to women who have experienced miscarriage. It may be worth contacting them if you need some support to help you deal with this.
Hi. I tested HIV positive on the 4th of July and I started taking Atroiza the following day. I was seven weeks pregnant by then. On the 15th of July I had a miscarriage. Could my miscarriage have been caused by the drug? Please help me with what drug I can take so I won’t have another miscarriage as I Would like to try for another baby.