Question
How long can I live on Atroiza?
18 June 2013. Related: All topics, Life expectancy.
I’m a girl aged 20 and I’m HIV positive. My CD4 is 174 and I’m taking atroiza.
I want to know how long can I live?
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your email.
Having HIV can sometimes be difficult. But modern treatment is very effective. It means that you can have a near-normal life expectancy and a good quality of life.
Nobody can predict how long anyone will live. This depends on things you can change (smoking, exercise, medication) and thing you can’t (genetics and bad luck).
Do you have any support to deal with being HIV positive? If you are in South Africa you could contact the Treatment Action Campaign for information about treatment and support in your area.
The i-Base Introduction to combination therapy guide also has general information about treatment.
Atroiza is a generic version of Atripla.
Please me know if you have any questions or I can help further.
Hi Lele, sometimes Atroiza can cause a rash or skin problems. It’s a good idea to show this to your doctor or nurse to make sure it’s nothing serious. If you have done this there is more information about rashes and skin problems, and how to deal with them, in our side effects guide.
Hi
I’m a 25year old female, I was diagnosed with HIV 3years. I started taking Treatment (Atroiza) 3weeks ago. At 1st it would make me very drowsy and nauseas, but now the symptoms have declines. But I am noticing that I m getting a little rash on my face, it itche’s sometimes. I would like to know if this is perhaps a side effect from the drug
Hi Rosa,
It is very normal to feel dizzy when you first start atroiza. Usually this will improve after the first month or two on treatment. Making sure you atroiza at night, and that you leave at least 2 hours between high-fat meals and when you take it, can help this.
Because your CD4 count is below 50 it is important that you are aware of the risk of IRIS, and that your doctor has checked your eyes for a virus called CMV. You can read more about these two things here, please let me know if you need any further information about these.
My cd4 count is 26 an I’m on antrioza for 4 weeks now still making me dizzy, when does this dizziness go
Hi Thabitha,
In some countries women who are HIV positive and start treatment in pregnancy stop this treatment when they finish breastfeeding, only if their CD4 count was above 350 when they started. I don’t know where you live but this might be the recommendation where you live.
Stopping treatment when you finish breastfeeding shouldn’t cause you or your baby any complications. You should only stop treatment if your doctor agrees that this is the best thing to do. It is important that if you do stop treatment you continue to be monitored by your doctor. You will need to have your CD4 count checked regularly and restart treatment when this falls to 350 or below.
If you would prefer to continue with treatment this may be an option, especially because your CD4 count was close to 350 when you started. Your clinic should be able to discuss this further with you.
Hi im 29yrs old,i found out im HIV+ june this year while i was pregnant my cd4 is 380,i breastfeed & im on trtment,& the sisters said is not an ongoing trtment that i can stop the trtment when i stop breastfeed, i like to know if is it gonna bring some complication?
Hi,
I’m very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Finding out you are HIV positive is never easy and it is normal to feel overwhelmed. Although telling people about your status can be very difficult it is important that you find at least 1 person you can talk to about this. Having somebody to support you to deal with your diagnosis can make it much more managable. This could be a friend, your girlfriend, a family member or a counsellor or support group. Do you have anybody like this you can talk to?
Because your CD4 count is less that 350 it is important that you start treatment soon- within the next month or so. This is because there is a risk of developing opportunistic infections while your CD4 count is this low.
It’s normal to be nervous about starting medication but it is important to know that for most people treatment is very easy to take and side effects are usually mild. Most people can take a once-a-day tablet to control HIV and this will protect you from getting sick. You can read about CD4 counts and starting treatment here.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like any more information.
hi
iam a man of 32 years…i desvored that i am HIV + in June and i drove myself made…i then took my cd4 count and it was 224…i then went out of the country with work before they put me on the treatment…i then came back in september and i restarted and my cd4 was 240 which means it increased. since June i minimised my sexual intercorse and i condomise each time i want to have sex with my girlfriend..i never told anyone about my stutus and i am still afraid to start taking in the medication..since they said i must stick to the time table of taking in the tablets..what can i do i am a bit confused
Hi Somila,
Congratulations on the birth of your baby! How are you both doing?
CD4 counts go up and down, and it’s not possible for me to tell you what your CD4 count is right now. A CD4 count of 561 is very good though and shows that your immune system is strong. So long as treatment is working well you would expect your CD4 count to stay stable or increase further. Please see this page for more information about CD4 counts.
Hy
am a gal of 21 yrs old,i jst gven birth last week with a cd4 dat is 561 n i’ve been taking atroiza 4 three months now,i’d lyk 2 know if how much can my cd4 count be by now.