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 Tebogo, what does his doctor say about these symptoms. This is important for the doctor to decide whther they are realted to other infection as his CD4 count is so low.
If his CD4 was 36 when he started, I expect is is alreay higher by now, so this should gradually help his health improve.
If the diarrhoea is related to other infections, his increased CD4 count can fight these much better. When is he due to have the next CD4 count? and viral load if this is used? When the CD4 count is so low, it is tricky to work out which symptoms are linked ot HIV, which to new infections and which to side effects.
I am not a doctor, but the treatment is likely to be working well and so understand the casue of the symptoms is important – and this might mean that sticking with this treatment will be okay.
My boyfriend is hiv positive n his cd4 count is 36, he lost weight so bad and vommits nd has chronic diarrhoea, his legs are swollen, his been on altroiza for 3 months now, what can he do or change pills
Hi Bongiwe. Please tell your doctor about any symptoms. Anything realted to your heart is important enough to tell the clinic. It might just be heartburn but the doctor needs to check.
I’m HIV positive I want know what about this Atenef because it make heartburn
Hi Lisa, perhaps take you meds with more water, or keep a bottle of water with you to sip from. I haven’t heard of this as a side effect, but please talk to your doctor in case there are other things you can do.
I am 43 and HIV+.I am also on atroiza but since I started to drink is have this thick dryness in my mouth and inside my lips which forces me to always lick and swallow every time which is very uncomfortable to in front of people. Does this mean I must change treatment?
Hi Violet, Congratulations on finding out you’re going to have a baby.
And yes! Starting treatment for your HIV will reduce the risk of your baby becoming HIV positive to almost zero. Going on HIV treatment (ART) can almost completely prevent transmission of HIV.
You can talk to your doctor about making sure your HIV is kept undetectable during your pregnancy.
And you can find out more about HIV, pregnancy and your health here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
I just found out that I’m 14 weeks pregnant and HIV+, I started my treatment immediately but is my baby going to be safe?
Hi Angel,
It’s very important that your niece asks a doctor to look at the rash. Some people can react to Atroiza, especially in the first days or weeks. This can be serious. Can she see the doctor quickly?
We are not doctors, but a nurse or doctor should look at the rash very soon to find out what’s causing it.
Hi, my niece who is 19 is HIV positive and has been taking Atroiza for a week now. She has a rash (red spots) all over the body. Is it common and how long does it usually lasts if it is?