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 Karabo, how long have you been having these symptoms?
Hey I’m Karabo i found out that I was HIV positive in 2022 November I started Taking Atroiza as my treatment. I’m now experiencing headaches and At Times I feel Cold, I would Like to know if I should be worried Or Not.?
Hi Gabeza, please see this question: https://i-base.info/qa/18961
Hi I’m hiv positive from 2005 I started my pep 2010 I used to take atroiza for almost 12yrs the doctor change my pep now I m taking Tld yes I expirence some side effects I know I about it ,but I m worried with my swallen gums both sides and my teeth are paining,I went to see dentist he said my gums are not swallen is the bones, should I be worried about that?
Hi William, I am sorry to hear you are expericing these side effects. How long have you been using Atroiza as PrEP? Often these side effects lessen if you remain on the medication long term. What time of the day are you taking Atroiza? Taking it later at night would mean you can sleep through more of the heavier side effects lessening how it affects daily living. Atroiza should also be taken on an empty stomach, or at least without a high fat meal. If you have a fat meal with Atripla 60% more of the drug is absorbed and can increase the severity of the side effects.
We are in RSA. My partner is hiv positive and is on treatment since 2019. She is taking Atroiza. We want to have a baby and the doctor we went to prescribed Atroiza for me as a prep. The pills make me sleep more hours, at night even during the day when i am just seated i end sleeping it give me mild headaches, aswell passing of gas, contrary my parner says she has never experienced the same side effects. What worries me more is at times when im supposed to drive a vehicle and feeling sleepy. What suggestions or advise would you give us.
Hi SIBONISO,
Atrozia and Teevir are both generic versions of an ARV called Atripla. Please see here:
https://i-base.info/guides/1561
What this means is that they contain the same compounds. It’s common to switch between them.
This is safe/
Hie,I was taking atroiza and they changed and gave me the Teevir is it the same with atroiza or they is a problem with me thank you looking forward to here from u
Hi Kenny,
By gas do you mean flatulence? What ARVs are you taking?
Hi. I am HIV positive tested early this year and now I am experiencing the gas problem on my stomach, what can be the cause of this and also close to finish my TB treatment.