Drugs

[Cutelad]

Right so, I got the news yesterday that I'm positive, I'm ok with it, know it's treatable blah blah blah.

i think I want to start drugs straight away so my CD4 count stays as high as possible. I don't know the actual figures yet.

im concerned about side effects particularly with mood/depression as I've suffered badly with it in the past. The stomach n toilet problems aswell as I have ibs.

So I've looked online and wondered what combinations would avoid these symptoms.

Aswell there's lots of descriptions of what the drugs do, but not how they actually work. I'm pretty intelligent so don't spare me on the science. Thanks

[TigerMilner]

Sounds like you have a good outlook on your situation. It' is generally accepted today that starting treatment as soon as diagnosed has long term benefits associated from keeping CD4 levels from dropping as well as preventing further spread of the virus. You will get your Viral Load and CD4 cell count along with numerous other markers at your first visit to the ID specialist. I would recommend you let your doctor determine what meds are best for your situation. Most likely it will be one of the one pill a day regime's which are actually 3-4 meds in one pill. On that note, don't settle for the first doctor you see if you are uncomfortable with him/her or don't get the answers you need. I went thru 3 before I found the one I have stuck with. He spent nearly two hours with me on my first visit. Not that that was necessary, but it made me feel better, and that is what doctors do, right?

[bearbandit]

Once you know you're poz the important thing isn't so much the CD4 count as the viral load. Get that down and the CD4 count will move slowly upwards. I say slowly because a friend of mine who's been poz almost as long as me has never got above 300 CD4. As Tiger says find your doctor: one you can talk to and who'll listen to you. Decide how long you're prepared to put up with side effects for (4 weeks?) and be prepared to go back and demand a change if the shoe don't fit. Also remember that side effects aren't compulsory. If you have IBS you might want to avoid using protease inhibitors as these irritate the gut (one of HIV's favourite places) more than any other class of ART in my experience (and believe me, there are few ARTs I haven't taken at one point or another). If it looks like protease inhibitors are likely, peppermint oil 0.2mg three times a day can help - sufficiently so that it's a prescription item as well as an over the counter item in the UK.

I don't know how many of us here are poz, but the thing I do know is that guys like Tiger and me and the other poz guys (it's up to them to self-identify) will answer any questions you have. The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask.

And if that's Doncaster as in the UK, I suggest you go to www.myhiv.org.uk and sign up there. With a second registration (basically to keep the non-poz people out) you'll have access to the myHIV forums - run by and for people with HIV. It's the biggest collection of knowledge about life with HIV in Europe and is constantly growing. I use a different user name there (Taliesin), but the same avatar - drop in and say hello.

[Cutelad]

Already joined, posted afew questions, thanks

[bearbandit]

Looked there this morning and saw you... good man!