Question
Are these side effects from Atroiza?
13 December 2013. Related: All topics, Life expectancy, Newly diagnosed, Pregnancy, Side effects.
Am a 19 yr old girl I just foundout that am HIV+ and am pregnant.
I started taking Atroiza but since I started I hardly sleep. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have a bad headache when I ask nurse she say its part of treatment. Is it Atroiza doing this or what?
I know HIV can’t be cured and I doing this for my unborn baby because if I die who wil raised her/him?
Answer
Hello,
I’m very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Finding out you are HIV positive is never easy but finding out in pregnancy can be especially hard. Do you have any support to help you deal with this?
Atroiza is a generic version of Atripla.
Atroiza contains a drug called efavirenz which has side effects that include sleep disturbance, mood changes and headaches. Usually these will improve over the first few weeks of treatment. However, some people change to a different drug because of these side effects.
It’s important to understand that these are related to your treatment, and to discuss them with your clinic if you are finding them difficult or they don’t improve. This link has more about these side effects.
You are right that we don’t have a cure for HIV. ARVs are very effective at treating HIV though and can allow you to have a long and healthy life.
With ARVs, HIV positive people have almost the same life expectancy as HIV negative people. Living with HIV isn’t something that is easy and you do need to take it seriously, but it shouldn’t stop you from doing anything in life you would have done before your diagnosis.
You may find the following links useful for more information. Do get back in touch if you have any questions.
Hi Paradise,
Yes this can happen, though this is less common when taking atrozia. For more info please see here:
http://i-base.info/qa/4129
I don’t know when it will go away. Therefore, if this is causing you problems you may need to change meds.
Just started using atrizoa and my left foot have been swelling and overheating will that go away in a couple of months?
Hi Azande,
Because you’re yet to start medication, you may find our,’Introduction to ART’ guide of helpful. It may also help you understand that you can expect. However, its important to know that how people react to ARVs varies.
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
In response to your questions, hair loss can happen, though this is rare. For more about this, please see here:
http://i-base.info/qa/3693
I’m not sure what you mean by crazy sick, but yes some people can have a bad reaction to ARVs. Common side effects of atrozia are discussed here:
http://i-base.info/guides/1561
What’s important when starting meds is to try and relax and if possible pick a time that’s right for you. Globally over 17 million people are on ART. They are great at doing what they are meant to do. And they are the only thing that can help a persons HIV.
Can atrozia make you sick like crazy sick, so that you need to go to the hospital? Or could I lose my hair? What can I expect?
Hi Slindile,
Thanks for sharing with us your story, its great to hear that you’re doing so well. And that of course you’re baby is well.
I also had the same problem,I knew about my status when I was two months pregnant, which was last year, beginning of March. I was 19. Now I have the cutest kid, she is 3 months now and she is healthy. Now I want to do a campaign encouraging everyone to go and test especially those who are pregnant. After all, its not the end of life, its just a virus.
Hi Tshifhiwa,
Please see the following link:
http://i-base.info/guides/1561
I want to know if you take it before or after meal.
Hi Amy,
If your husband is not on treatment and you have sex without a condom, there is a risk that you will contract HIV. Therefore, this is something that you need to think about.
If you are worried about your husband not being on meds, then maybe you could share with him our, “Introduction to ART” guide. It explains why meds are so important, and how they work.
http://i-base.info/guides/starting
However, at the end of the day, you can’t force someone to use meds.
My husband refuses to use a condom. I’m worried because he’s not on treatment. He keeps on delaying the process and I have realized that I am not going back to my normal weight, I have tried speaking to him with no success.