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 Bukie,
What you’ve described is common when first starting meds. These side effects usually go within a few weeks.
Hi I started Arvis,its a week now Atroiza,at nyt idid’nt experience nothing,but early in the morning,nauseous&dizziness,what must I do
Hi Dr Rammala.
The side effects that you’re having are very common when someone first starts Atrozia. They should go within a few weeks of starting the meds. If they don’t then you may need to change. Please see Q3 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
I’m 25 years older just started talking Atroiza after a week I have drunk them I feel nauseous n dizziness what can I do please help I went to the clinic and they said there is nothing wrong about it and they didn’t switch me to other treatment
Hi Siyabulela,
Feeling dizzy after taking Atroiza can happen, especially if you take them in the daytime. You can see more info here. It’s a good idea to take Atroiza before bedtime, on an empty stomach (or not with a high fat meal). A high fat meal increases drug levels of the main drug in Atroiza by 60%. This increases the likelihood of side effects.
I’m started taking ARV”s 2008 when my wife was pregnant. Ive changed to Atroiza 4yrs ago, ever since then . When I eat my treatment, after an hour I felt deazy. What must I do?
Hi Sharon,
If you get any kind of rash when you just start ARVs you should go to the doctor and have it checked out. If it’s a reaction to the ARVs you can ask to switch to other meds. But it could be that this painful itch is a kind of infection. So it’s a good idea to find out what’s causing it and hopefully get it treated.
Jus started taking Atroiza ARVs today and l am pregnant BT nw experiencing this painful itchy on my vigina and under my bum.. Its unbearable
Hi Xoliswa,
The itching that you’re experiencing isn’t anything to do with being on ARVs. It could be thrush. This is easy to treat. If possible please speak to a health care professional about this.
Hi
I just recently started my HIV treatment and i am pregnant i always woke up at midnight because of my private part itching so bad, is it a normal to happen?