Izzy: My experience with HIV meds (and yes, I have a position in AGPH)
You directed the question to Cherry, but I will also respond. Summary here, details further on -
Rx & schedule: D4T, 3TC (6:00am & 6:00pm) & Viracept (6:00am, 2:00pm & 10:00pm); minor alterations in breakfast & lunch schedule to coincide with Viracept times, as AGPH has indicated 40% greater bioavailability with a meal (see Viracept package insert) & their test subjects ate _full_ meals. Bedtime dose is with a heavy snack. On the whole, pretty easy to take, except when I want to sleep in on Saturday :-)
Side effects: Minimal (thank the gods), occasional insomnia, diarhea directly related to size of meal - if I eat full meal, no diarhea; light snack = the runs. Have had no need to use Immodium.
Test results: starting load=78,000 & CD4=150. After 1 month load=2700, count not taken.
Anecdotal results: Before this combo, I was getting sicker very rapidly - decreasing energy levels, loss of ability to concentrate, immune hyper-sensitivity (mosquito bites would raise welts the size of a quarter & if I ate Italian food, I looked like I had a mild sunburn for 2-3 days & felt like hell - see details below if interested in my theories about food/HIV interactions) however, I have never had an AIDS defining illness. After 1 month on combo, I feel infinitely better - I can concentrate, don't feel fatigued (I swim 1/2 mile 3 times), can eat broader range of foods (but still have to be careful of Italian - damn!!)
Cost: HMO co-pay $10/script
IMHO, based on experience with friends on other regimens, this combo is the best: effective, least side effects, easier to take
Details, intended for the MDs among us or the truly thread compulsive!!
Previous med experience:
1) Underground DDC for 3-4 months (in retrospect, a dumb thing to do...) after I had found AZT utterly intolerable - SEVERE headaches, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, etc, etc.
2) Study of AZT+DDI+3TC: based on my previous experience with AZT, I _knew_ that pill was placebo so by process of elimination based on the arms of the study, I was on real DDI & real 3TC. DDI is a bitch to take - BID, but with the same (or more stringent) food prohibitions as Crixivan. Blew my liver enzymes out the roof, dropped out of the study. Started with CD4 count of 350, left with count of 200. Scares me a bit that I may have already developed 3TC resistance...
Other meds:
Isoniazid (have been positive for TB since I was 5 years old), Zovirax (400mg TID prophylaxis; I get herpes outbreaks otherwise), Dapsone (had a _violent_ reaction to Septra, required ER visit to control), Pamelor (chronic depression)
Adherence:
Fair - I've never _missed_ a dose, but I've been a few hours late occasionally. I'm one of those that gets completely absorbed in the task at hand, sometimes have no idea of the passage of time.
Food:
I think some foods activate the immune system & I suppose, viral replication. For me: spinach, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (!), peanuts (!), chocolate (!!), caffeine (!!!), tomatoes (!!), all of the herbs in the mint family (!!!) including oregano, basil & thyme, red & yellow artificial food coloring. I would write this off to normal allergies, but I ate all of the above with no ill effects until HIV. |
