Epzicom/Abacavir Sensitivity

[lower_bucks_bottom]

I have been taking Truvada, first with Isentress, then Tivicay for 2.5 years with excellent results (undetectable) and no noticeable side effect. However an unnoticeable side effect has been that my kidney numbers (creatine and eGFR) have gone out of range to the point where my doctor says that we have to change. We did a test for HLA-B*5701 and it came back negative so we switched to Epzicom which I have been taking for a week and a half.

In the last few days I have been feeling a bit unwell. Before I go on I should say that I am a bit of a hypochondriac (while hypochondriac are usually used for comic relief in TV and movies it really is not a laughing matter), so I always think the worst, so I am concerned this might be the start of Abacavir hypersensitivity, rather then the more likely cold, despite the negative HLA-B*5701 test. Before I panic I am wondering if there is anyone on here that has had real Abacavir hypersensitivity and what their symptoms were.

I don't have a rash, I do have a headache and my temperature is 99.3 which is not really unusual for me at this time of day since my body has never seemed to take temperature regulation seriously. I am a bit achy and my intestines have been a bit out of sorts.

Comments?

Thanks

[bearbandit]

The 5701 test looks for the presence of HLA-5701: its presence pretty much guarantees a hypersensitivity reaction, severe enough to land you in intensive care, if not a box. (I'm in the contrary position of my virus being supremely vulnerable to abacavir, yet also HLA-5701+, so it's a drugs I can't touch.) What you're describing is, to me, the "minor" side effects which perhaps 1 in 10 people get, 2 in 10 at a stretch. Don't forget that there's a lot of stress involved in starting a new drug: your body has to respond to this strange new chemical you're throwing at it, which is why rash and temperature are the most common side-effects of most drugs. The headache is probably stress. If you were going into hypersensitivity, it would have probably happened earlier, and you probably wouldn't have been able to write the above message. I'd suggest you ride out the month and see how you feel at the end of it: then, if you have any potential side effect issues, discuss them with your doctor.

At the risk of repeating myself: you haven't described abacavir hypersensitivity!

[lower_bucks_bottom]

That is about what I thought. Thanks