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.
Anaemia has not been reported as a side effect of efavirenz, which is the main drug in the Atripla tablet.
And a CD4 count of 900 is strong. But you can talk to your doctor about anaemia, about what’s causing it, and what to do about it.
Hi I am 25 years of age. I was diagnosed with HIV 3 years ago while I was pregnant. I am on Atripla, and my CD4 is 900. But having anaemia, does Atripla cause anaemia? If so what should I to cure it?
Hi, Taking your medication later than usual can stop it from working against HIV. This is because the drug levels in your blood can go too low and stop them being effective. If that happens then HIV can rebound and then your CD4 count will drop.
You can talk to your doctor about the reasons why you sometimes can’t take them on time. Can your clinic give you advice and support to help you take them in the right way?
Hi, I’m 23 years of age and I was dignosed with HIV last year in January. I was pregnant and my C4 count was 406 and then taking medication. But sometimes I take it later than the usual time. Will that affect my CD4 count?
Hi, It’s good to hear that you’re on HIV medication. But it’s important not to stop treatment. Even if your CD4 count is above 300 your medication will only work properly if you continue to take it. Being on treatment will help increase your CD4 count, and keep you from getting ill.
Hi, I’m 25 years old and I’m HIV positive, I’m currently using medication. So I want to know if my CD4 count is above 300, am I going to continue to take medication?
Hi, It’s great that you’re on treatment and taking it everyday. Atrioza is a standard pill for HIV and it is very effective. It can have some side effects, both most people are fine taking it. You can find more information about Atrioza here:
http://i-base.info/guides/1561
Hi good day, i got HIV at the age of 26 and take medication everyday. I don’t drink or smoke, how will Atrioza affect me?
Hi,
Atenef and Atroiza are both generic versions (copies) of a pill called Atripla. They contain exactly the same ingredients and work in the same way. They only have different names because they are made by different companies. They work the same way and are equally effective at preventing the baby becoming positive.
My niece recently found out that she is HIV+ and pregnant. She started the treatment (Atroiza) in EC then went to Cape Town where she was given (Atenef). Now she’s stressed out and wondering if that will not reduce the chances of having a HIV- baby. Please help, how different are these?