Question
I stopped treatment after birth, is that right?
7 March 2014. Related: All topics, Pregnancy, Stopping treatment.
I was pregnant and my doctor put me on Tribuss.
She advised me that I need to take the pill for six weeks after I gave birth and then leave it. When I asked her about the issue of resistance she mentioned that the sooner I stop taking the pill the better because I don’t need it now.
I am so worried now it has been 3 days now I have not been taking it and scared what could happen . Can you please confirm if this was a good advice or should I go back and take the treatment?
Answer
NOTE: this is an archive question as guidelines in 2023 recommend that all women continue ART after their pregnancy.
Hi,
Thanks for your question.
Do you know what your CD4 count was when you started taking Tribuss?
If a pregnant woman has a high CD4 count (above 350) she should be given the option to stop treatment after giving birth, so long as she is not breastfeeding. This is because, when your CD4 count is this high you don’t need treatment for your own health, only to prevent your baby from being infected.
Stopping treatment shouldn’t cause resistance to develop. Resistance develops when you stop and start treatment, or when you miss doses. This is because in that case you would have some of the drug in your body, but not enough to control HIV. So HIV learns how to get around the drug, and this leads to resistance. When you stop treatment completely there is no drug in your body for the HIV to learn about, and it doesn’t develop resistance.
Some women prefer to continue treatment after pregnancy, even if they have a high CD4 count. This might not be possible due to cost or availability of treatment, but your doctor should have discussed this with you.
You can read more about this in our pregnancy guide.
Note: this question was updated in 2023. Guidelines now recommend continuing on ART after pregnancy,
Hi Lungy,
If you’ve been breastfeeding your baby whilst having a high viral load, there is a risk that your baby is positive. Its important that you get your baby tested and that they see a doctor.
You’ve also said in another post that you’ve been told to stop breastfeeding, this is the right advice. Though your baby may have issues with formula milk, as your viral load is still high its important to protect them.
Hi Hiv+ m breastfeeding n i stop taking my medication for 6weeks after I have birth now my viral load is too high is 32100 n Cd4 is 808,,is it possible for my baby to be affected
Hi Boitumelo,
Info about HIV and pregnancy can be found here:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi, could I have infected my fetus with hiv when I first found out about my status when I was 10 weeks pregnant and my viral load was 355 so I just started taking Tribuss when I was 20 weeks pregnant
Hi Feliz,
Yes you can drink alcohol when you take ARVs. What herbs do you mean?
I was givin the tribus for 28days can i drink alcohol before or after drinking alcohol…Can i take herbs while taking tribus
Hi Boitumelo, thanks for writing. Please talk to your doctor who should already be recommending that you start HIV treatment (ART). This give the meds plenty of time to get your viral load to undetectable levels before your baby is born. Congratulations on your news :)
More information about HIV and pregnancy is linked form this page:
http://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
Hi I’m 5 months pregnant and cd4 count is 466 is it too late to take arv’s?
Hi Sizeni. Without more details it is difficult to give information. With any symptoms we alwasy recommend people contact their doctor. Please do not stop taking meds without first talking to your doctor or nurse.
Im hiv positive and I was taking tribuss cause I was pregnant and my cd4 717,I was breastfeeding after 2days I give birth I get swallon on my legs I can not walk so I decided to stop breast feeding,my question is can I keep taking tribuss or not