Question
My brother is having side effects with Atroiza
23 July 2013. Related: All topics.
My brother is 35 and HIV positive.
He has been using Atroiza for a week. CD4 is 216 and he’s always dizzy, has lost weight, is not eating well and i think he’ losing his mind. Please help!
Answer
Hi,
Thanks for your email. Atroiza contains a drug called efavirenz that can affect your emotions and they way you act. For some people it can seem like you are going crazy.
Usually these side effects will improve after the first few weeks of treatment but for some people these can be severe or may not improve over time. If you are worried it is important that your brother talks to his doctor so that they can assess the severity of his side effects.
Some people need to change to different treatment very early on though if these side effects are severe.
Please see this page in our side effects guide for more information.
Atroiza is a generic version of Atripla.
Hi Zinhle, thanks. I am sorry your brother has this. How old is he and how long has he been HIV positive? Sometimes advanced HIV with a very low CD4 count can cause difficult weight loss in the face, but this usually comes back on treatment. Tribuss isn’t causing this problem but it might have caused by the HIV meds he used before Tribuss. Unfortunately it is difficult to reverse.
My brother is using Tribuss and both his cheeks have little fat. Is he going to go back like he was if changes the medication.