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 Ndema, Atroiza is a combination medication for the management of HIV. It is given to people who are HIV positive.
Hi my girlfriend she is taking atroiza is that mean she is hlv positive or negative
Hi Nomonde, thanks for posting about this. Your niece is lucky to have you on her side. Because she has been taking every dose, and I believe you, there is a good chance that she had drug resistance BEFORE she started meds. The rates vary between different countries but is it common to become HIV positive with drug resistant HIV. For example, this affect from 5% to 15% who might already have resistance to drugs in Atroiza.
Although the counsellors might not understand this, the doctor really should. Can you go with her to the next appointment to support the things she says and to ask for the doctor to see her again.
This is included as reason 5 in this list of reasons that treatment can fail:
https://i-base.info/guides/changing/reasons
Even taking all your meds on time can’t overcome drug resistance.
It would also be good to know your niece’s viral load results. If this is higher than 1,000 copies/mL she should be able to change treatment.
Please can you find a way for her to speak to a doctor? The doctor also need to take this more seriously. If your niece continues on the same drugs, the drug resistance will continue to get worse.
Instead, your niece should be offered a new combination. This should include a new drug called dolutegravir. This is an integrase inhibitor that is becoming more widely available in all countries. Some countries might still use older drugs called protease inhibitors. For example, lopinavir/r or darunavir/r.
In the UK, people are given a drug resistance test, but this may or may not be available in your country.
This guide has more detailed information about how drug resistance is treated in the UK:
https://i-base.info/guides/changing
Please tell your niece to stay strong. She is doing everything right and it is her doctor who needs to take over now instead of the counselors.
If the doctor wants more information, show them pages 129-130 of these WHO guidelines.
https://www.who.int/hiv/pub/arv/chapter4.pdf
These say that having a viral load above 1,000 copies/mL on the same combination are a definition of treatment failure. This should involves changing to a new combination.
My niece 16 year old is taking atroiza and has been resistant to it ever since she started taking it, the counselors keep saying she does not adhere but she does and now she’s depressed
Hi Kenneth, I am glad that your girlfriend was not intimidated by your request/demand. This is a personal matter and you need to test yourself to know your own HIV status. PEP usually needs to be taken for 28 days.
Hie.
I was exposed, and lm HIV negative and dont know status of my girlfriend as she refused to get tested.
I was given PEP M171, for how long should l take the pills to be safe?
Hi Chie, thanks, it sounds like you have had a great response. This is all good. Different people respond differently. The only important thing is that you are personally doing well.
Hi l hv been on Atroiza fo 2 weeks l ddnt experience any side effects is that normal my cd4 count is 537 nd viral load 54
Hi Neo,
If your mother is ill she may need to see a doctor. If her HIV is advanced and her CD4 is low, it’s important that she engages with medication.
It’s possible that she just needs some time, being diagnosed can be hard to come to terms with.
Hi my mom was sick and losing weight a month ago, she just found out that she is HIV+ a week ago. So my problem is now she doesn’t want to take the medication (Atrioza) and her mouth has sores cos she store’s the pill inside. Please advise if it’s wise to take her to the hospital or not cos her health is slowly getting worse.