Meds or NO Meds

[ozraw]

Been chatting to lots of guys on here and other sites and quite a few do not take their Meds at all and still fuck with everyone (half their luck) but how do you guys think it will affect the so called "Cross infection" and why is some get sicker on the Meds and better when off?

[dickluva]

I am not at all impressed that taking meds extends life or makes poz people healthier. I threw my meds away in Sept 2007, after 5 years of taking them. I feel better, my weight stabilized, the neuropathy went away, & my digestion improved so I can eat anything I want. The Doc, who I had seen as a patient for 18 years & considered a dear friend, always told me those were hiv related, but they turned out to be Rx related. My friends who have died were on meds. You can message me private for more info.

[ozraw]

YES that is EXACTLY what my friends tell me. Most of my friends are poz and as healthy as. Some on Meds some not so the discussion the other night after a BB session was, do the meds make you more sick and keep you from so called "cross infection" of not....thus the question posted. Being 56 and still neg despite taking lots of poz loads my other thought was when I do become poz which i will one day of that I have no doubt are the meds as effective on an older person as for someone fit and healthy.

[muscmtl]

Stopped the meds for 2 months once. I finally got my body back, so fuckin amazing feeling. Then got scared and went back on. So, hearing about your stories makes me rethink...

[Ingulphus]

Started Atripla three months after testing positive (my doctor had started seeing a significant rise in leukemia-related conditions in poz guys who were otherwise stable), and I've been lucky in that I've had no bad effects whatsoever, aside from the vivid, Technicolor Cecil B. DeMille dreams if I took it at night (and now I take it in the morning). My husband had severe heartburn and diarrhea from Reyataz, but when he switched to Atripla, all went away.

[HungLatinDom]

Statistics are very clear. ANd, hell you do not even need to see fucking statistics. If you doubt ARV therapy works you only have to see gay men are not dying in mass as 25-30 years ago. Do not make your choices based on messages posted in forums that you cannot verify.

[rawTOP]

Statistics are very clear. ANd, hell you do not even need to see fucking statistics. If you doubt ARV therapy works you only have to see gay men are not dying in mass as 25-30 years ago. Do not make your choices based on messages posted in forums that you cannot verify.

Agreed. I would add that what the data show is huge benefits from taking ARVs once your t-cells get down to a certain level. The advantages of taking them before then are still a point of discussion (IMHO). Taking them early stops you from infecting someone else, but you increase the risk of long-term adverse reactions to the drugs.

[HungLatinDom]

Indeed, decisions should be made according to personal health status, not because of general/social concern. I would take meds now, with CD4 at 800, but cannot, but I understand not everybody would.

[Guest BreedingCameraman]

Been a while since this topic has seen the light of day. I’m wondering if anything has changed from when all of these posts were originally made.

[drscorpio]

Moderator's Note: This thread is old enough that it predates the creation of the Sexual Health area. I suspect it was overlooked when posts were moved to this area. I have done so now. 

[drscorpio]

On 1/2/2019 at 6:35 AM, BreedingCameraman said:

Been a while since this topic has seen the light of day. I’m wondering if anything has changed from when all of these posts were originally made.

The current recommendations are to begin treatment soon after diagnosis. One reason is the recognition of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmissable). PozUD guys cannot spread the virus, so health officials want to get guys to that state as soon as they can. The other reason is there is now evidence to suggest long-term health outcomes are better if HIV is never allowed to damage the immune system. 

[Pozlover1]

On 4/26/2011 at 8:25 PM, ozraw said:

Been chatting to lots of guys on here and other sites and quite a few do not take their Meds at all and still fuck with everyone (half their luck) but how do you guys think it will affect the so called "Cross infection" and why is some get sicker on the Meds and better when off?

All meds have side effects. There are about 21 HIV treatment combinations, and a Doctor can find one that makes you the least sick. 

“Med Vacations” used to be a nonrecommended thing to help your body recuperate but are now used to share the Gift. Either way, startups can be rough. Word has it that restarting Viramune for example will kill you. 

[Guest descartes70817]

On April 28, 2011 at 7:55 PM, dickluva said:

I am not at all impressed that taking meds extends life or makes poz people healthier. I threw my meds away in Sept 2007, after 5 years of taking them. I feel better, my weight stabilized, the neuropathy went away, & my digestion improved so I can eat anything I want. The Doc, who I had seen as a patient for 18 years & considered a dear friend, always told me those were hiv related, but they turned out to be Rx related. My friends who have died were on meds. You can message me private for more info.

I just reached the same conclusion myself and stopped taking meds completely just recently. If life on meds sucked so bad that I felt better when I had AIDS related pneumonia what the fuck is the point of meds? The only point I can see is to make sure you live just long enough to die flat broke.

Edited April 7, 2019 by descartes70817

[Pozlover1]

28 minutes ago, descartes70817 said:

I just reached the same conclusion myself and stopped taking meds completely just recently. If life on meds sucked so bad that I felt better when I had AIDS related pneumonia what the fuck is the point of meds? The only point I can see is to make sure you live just long enough to die flat broke.

I’m takin my meds.

[Guest GoneFishing]

☣️N a pill holiday