Question
Is a fast heartbeat on Atripla normal?
16 March 2012. Related: Adherence, All topics, Side effects.
On Atripla for the past 12 months, in the last 1-2 months I have fast heart beat. is this normal? I like the idea of having one tablet daily as my adherance is bad.
Answer
As with any symptoms, this is something to call your doctor about. This is especially important if you think there is a change in your heart beat or heart rhythm. Your doctor can then run tests to check whether you are ok.
The three drugs in Atripla are efavirenz, tenofovir and FTC. These drugs have not been associated with these symptoms.
I also wondered what you meant by bad adherence? How often are you late or do you sometimes miss doses completely?
Because the three drugs in Atripla leave your body quite slowly compared to some other HIV drugs, you may have a bigger window to take them. This means that even being several hours late may be fine, so long as you still take one tablet a day.
If you get your viral load to undetectable and keep it there for at least six months, you may have even more flexibility.
A study called FOTO (Five On, Two On) followed people with an undetectable viral for a year when they only took Atripla from Monday to Friday (Five On) and didn’t take it at weekends (Two Off). In this study, viral load stayed undetectable all year.
This schedule is not approved or recommended but it shows that evens missing a day or two sometimes may be fine, but only if your viral load is undetectable. This may take some of the stress away from your worrying about bad adherence.
Again though, talk to your doctor about this as they will have the time to take in detail about other things that could help.
Reference:
Cohen C et al. The FOTO study: The 48 week extension to assess durability of the strategy of taking efavirenz, tenofovir and emtricitabine Five days On, Two days Off (FOTO) each week in virologically suppressed patients. 5th IAS Conference, 2009. Abstract MOPEB063.
http://library.iasociety.org/AbstractView.aspx?confID=2009&abstractId=3046
Hi Belinda, what is the name of the medication you are taking for HIV? and how long have you been having this fast heart rate and body pain?
Have the healthcare professionals you have mentioned this to done any investigations e.g., ECG/EKG, blood tests, examinations?
Hi am an hiv positive i have being taking my medication for 5 months now but i have. being having fast heart rate also with too much body pains AFS also Too much pains in my tummy till now
please have complain several to my health care but to now no avail
am really scared now
Hi Portia,
Are you saying that you’re taking Atripla? If not what are you taking now? What did you use to take?
I have been taking arvs for close to 10 years but suddenly with this new combination I’m feeling sick.
My throat is sore, thrush and my under left jaw is painful with no swelling.
I am frustrated, because I’m taking medication on time and everyday.
Hi Anonymous,
If you’ve been taking ARVs for 6 years, it’s very unlikely that your sleep and heart issues are anything to do with your meds. The best thing to do is to talk to your doctor. It could for example be anxiety.
Hi
I’m HIV positive and I have been taking arvs for six years and suddenly can’t sleep at night my heart beats fast arvs can lead to have heart problems?
Hi Thabzo,
As it says on this Q&A, if there’s a change in your heartbeat you need to call your doctor about it.
The drugs in Atripla have not been associated with these symptoms. But your doctor can run tests to check whether you are ok.
There shouldn’t be an interaction with Benylin. But you should tell your doctor about all other meds you take with your HIV meds.
Its been a while ddnt take my medication then i decided to took it again is 3days now the heart started to beat fast i dnt know if is those pills or the flu that is in me cause i took the pill same with benelyn now the heart beat is not weĺl cant sleep
Hi, Symptoms such as not sleeping well and feeling tired are side effects that sometimes happen with efavirenz. This is a drug used in Atripla. It’s a tablet that’s sometimes called Tribuss or Atroiza or another name, but it’s the same medication. However, you should call your doctor about your heart beating like this. It’s not a reported side effect of efavirenz. And it’s important your doctor checks that your heart is okay.
I’m HIV positive and I have been taking my medication for 3 months now. But the symptoms don’t go away. I always feel tired, with a headache, and I can’t sleep at night. My heart beats fast. Am I dying? I dont even miss a dose, and I take my medication everyday.