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.
I’m 36 years old hiv positive, and I just found out that I’m pregnant with my first child. I’m using M171 ARV in which I don’t know the real name of the tablet I’m taking every night…. but is my unborn baby at risk to get infected by the disease..?
Thank you.
Hi Asanda,
First, many congratulations on the news that you’re going to have a baby.
The pills marked M171 are likely to be Tribuss. This is safe and effective HIV treatment (ART) for women who are HIV positive and pregnant.
The benefits of ART are not just to your own health. Treating your HIV will reduce the risk of your baby becoming HIV positive to almost zero.
There’s lots of info in this guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health.
Hi Anonymous,
Yes Atrozia can be taken in pregnancy, it won’t have any affect on your baby. As you’re pregnant, you may find the following helpful: http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Is Atroiza (efavirens) safe in early pregnancy?
Hi Thanda,
It’s great that you’ve started HIV treatment. But painful bladder is not a reported side effect of Atroiza.
We are not doctors at i-Base, so it’s a good idea to have a check up with the doctor. Your doctor can find out what’s causing this.
I’ve started using Atroiza but my bladder is painful, what’s the cause
Hi Philile,
If you’re having palpitations, please discuss this with a doctor. The 54 viral load results is near enough undetectable. However it could simply be a lab error. If it’s possible you may wish to have another viral load test done.
Hi
I am on Atroiza since 2016. For the past year i have been having palpitations at night with sleep disturbance and unintentional weight loss. And to my surprise, my viral load which was undectectable since 2016, is now 54 and CD4 is 1118
Hi Hlami,
Unfortunately we are not doctors at i-Base. So it’s important to talk to your doctor about your chest problems.
You can also discuss your treatment for high blood pressure. You can ask to switch to treatment that will bring your blood pressure down.
But how is your HIV treatment going? Do you have access to your CD4 count and viral load results? Please let us know what they are.
Hlami I started talking Atroiza frm 20 Feb and I’m also taking tablets for high blood and today wasn’t feeling well was having problm of chest went to the doctor to find out my blood pressure is high. So want to knw if the chest was caused by high blood or something else please help