Question
Can I still take meds if I am sick after taking them?
3 August 2016. Related: Access to treatment, All topics, Side effects.
i just find out that am HIV positive last year in May. When I found out, i started taking ARVs but i stopped taking because I was vomiting after i took them. Can i still take them or i mst stop for good?
Answer
Please talk to your doctor about details of when you are sick. you also need to explain that you have stopped taking the meds as this is very important for the clinic to know about.
If you were sick straight after you took the pills (or within an hour or so) then trying to take them again is best – especially if you see the pills when you are sick. Being sick soon after might be a psychological problem linked to anxiety or worry – rather than a physical sickness. This is because the drugs will not have been absorbed yet.
If you are sick a few hours later, then you don’t need to take them again, as the medicines will already be absorbed.
If feeling sick is a side effect, then the doctor can sometimes give you anti-sickness meds until your body gets used to the meds. If this doesn’t help then there are alternative HIV meds.
You doctor needs to know if you have stopped taking the meds altogether so that a better solution can be worked out.
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