Question
How soon can I eat after taking Odimune?
21 August 2012. Related: Adherence, All topics.
I hear you say its advisable to take odimune (efavrienz+ FTC+ tenofovir) at bed time and its only taken on empty stomach, how long exactly should i stay away from food before taking it? The reason i am asking this is I can not starve the whole day before taking the tablet.
Answer
Saying that Odimune needs to be taken on an ’empty stomach’ doesn’t mean you need to starve yourself. It is fine to eat something before or when you take this, but you have to be careful to make sure this is not a high fat meal.
A high fat meal will increase levels of efavirenz and so you may get more side effects (mood changes, anxiety, disorientation or interrupted sleep etc). Food low in fat or with just a little fat, will be fine.
More about this is explained in this question: What happens if don’t take Atripla on an empty stomach?
Odimune is a generic version of Atripla which includes the same meds but is just made by a different company.
I have been taking atripla since 2011.Tomorrow i will be starting taking odimune.what side effect can i expect,when i start taking this pills,is it gonna be the same as when i started taking atripla?
Hi Nonie,
Most people take odimune at night, at least two hours after their evening meal. It’s best to leave at least two hours between eating a high fat meal and taking odimune because high fat food can make side effects of odimune more difficult.
Which way you can take the Odimune before meal or afermeal?
Hi Mtombi,
It’s normal to feel dizzy when you start taking odimune. This should get better within the first few weeks of treatment but if you are worried do talk to your doctor about this.
I’ve got 10 days taking Odimune I’m alwyz dizzy and I sweat @ night I dnt know what to to because I’m dizzy evrytime I take it at night but even during the day I’m dizzy.
Please help me
Hi Phumi,
Atripla and Odimune contain the same active drugs- odimune is just a generic version of Atripla. This means it’s the same treatment but made by a different company. So it’s unusual to have new side effects when changing between these. This doesn’t mean it’s not possible but it’s important to think about whether anything has changed about the way you are taking your meds. Have you changed the time you take them, or are you eating more around the time you take them?
If nothing has changed it’s important to talk to the doctor about these new side effects. And either way you should tell the doctor about your swollen breast if this is something that has not happened before and you are worried by this.
I have been takin Atripla for a year. Then I changed my medical aid they gave me Odimune now ever since I started taking it I’m having weird dreams. What should I do? And this morning I woke up with a swollen breast, this never happened when I was using Atripla though I had a heartburn problem
Hi Letsatsi,
It is important to tell your doctor about these cramps.
The swollen stomach that you mention is likely to be a side effect called lipodystrophy, which is commonly linked to long term use of stavudine. Unfortunately it can be difficult to shift this accumulated fat. There are some hormonal treatments that may be available to help with this, but diet and exercise are generally helpful too. There is more information about this here.
thank you for replying to me so quick, I have been taking nevarapine, stavudine and lamivudine since I started in 2007. I haven’t been to my doctor yet to inform him about my cramps until my next appointment on 21/08/2013. Sorry to worry you again I will like to know the previous treatment( stavudine) made me a big tummy is there anything I can do to help that since now I look like a 4 month pregnant lady
Hi Dee, it’s important to try and take your meds at the same time everyday. If you change the time you go to bed that’s fine, but you should try and have a set time to take your tablets. So if the earliest you go to bed is 8pm then it’s a good idea to say that every day you will take your meds at 8pm. If there’s a bit of time between when you take them and when you go to sleep that isn’t a problem. It’s OK to be early or late by about an hour but you should try to keep as close to the same time everyday as possible to make sure your treatment is effective.