The Toxic Cocktail

[Greg143]

I was on the HIV cocktail for five years and it almost killed me. I have been off for a year now, and my labs have turned to crap. My ID doc says that I need to go back on, but says that I was on an old regimen, and the newer drugs are far less toxic.

Is anybody on any of the newer drugs? How have you been handling them?

Thanks much,
Greg

[Greg143]

I did NOT type "thingytail" obviously there is some kind of "software" at work that doesn't like the other word for a rooster. LOL!  

[admin]

Welcome Greg, I fixed the censored word - I just pulled it form the list.  I am sure the word cocktail -- will come up a lot.

Thanks for posting.  The more posts we get on the board, the more comfortable people will get to post.

The Hepatitis C site took a while, but now we get about 300 to 500 visitors a day to the bulletin board.

I hope the HIV Bulletin Board does as well as our Hep C board. Check out all the post on it if you have time.
http://www.hcvanonymous.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

Take care,

Glen Caulkins

[Greg143]

Thanks Glen,
It really did hit me kind of funny when it came back "Thingytail." LOL!
It's very nice to meet you, and I hope we do as well as the Hep C forum.
Greg

[dusty]

I Have been pos for 20 + years, in the early 90's I took AZT and some other drugs and they made me feel verry sick and verry crazy. I went off of the drugs and took only bactrum/sulpha drug as a preventative. I had found out thru project inform, I could live with 0 t-cells and taking bactrum stand off pneumonia and other infections.
It worked however my t-cells went down to less then 12 or 15, they did not like to tell you what they were when they were that low, they would just say they were below 100.
 now they do a viral load test they fist one they did on me was verry high,I dont remember the numbers.
  Well I went on the new cocktails about 2 years ago, I had gotten sick a few times from different things
 They tell me my T-cells are over 700 and the viral load is so low that it is undetectable.
 I am told I am healthy at clinic appointments   and urged to quit smoking.
 I feel tired all the time and I have flu like symptoms some days ond others I feel ok.
I have to take imodium daily or else I get squiirts.
Sometimes I just seem to sleep for days at a time, so they sent me to the psychiatrist, who said it may be depression but, he does't want to put me on anything
cause I am on "enough drugs" already.
I take 4 big horse pills 2 times a day,as well as 2 other antivirals every morning
and 1different antiviral every evening plus Imodium,
pepcid (or else I taste my pills all day)and 2 triple strength IIbuprofen, for these banging headaches :-/
and they dont seem to work
They wonder why I have no appatite  they say nothing is wrong with me and I should not be so tired all the time.
.I have read where people have gone on meds for 6 mos and then went off of them for 3 to purge from the drugs.
Well when I first started taking these drugs they made me feel really dizzy and confused for about 2 weeks my doc said that was normal and would wear off,it did, But, I dont feel up to; 2 weeks of dizzines, if I go off meds and restart
So I dont know myself, I do think AZT killed a whole lot of people early on. I think you need to decide how desprate you are to get your t's up and your V's down.
I can also advise that if you make a decision to go on the meds, dont keep asking people like me what to do. Because, you will get 1000's of different opinions and no two will be exactly the same, and it will make you crazy, debating in your head. I think that fearful debate is just as bad on our overall health as stress can be.
well thanks for letting me write all of this out now I can see whats going on in print, but I still dont know what to do. I'll stay on the drugs for now and just see.

[Eggert Arnórsson]

Dear brothers and sisters.
No the cocktail is not better.
You are hereby invited, to see the new server. http://www.varhamer.com/

[dboss2239]

HI Greg, Iwas also on a cocktail and i found it to work quite well without any ill effects, Combivir (NRTI), Stocrin(NNRTI). WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED, MY cd4 COUNT was 2...........now its way up there...send me some feedback, keep up the fight...

[Charlie]

Please hit me back if you are interested to communicate with me. Then you will know about me. Thanks

[juanitt]

Charlie-I  have been on meds for 11 years and all have side effects that are hard to put up with.  But there are new ones coming out all the time that are getting easier to tolerate. I am on a new (not quite approved)PI which gives the best results so far.  Us long termers also have the added problem of fat in the wrong places.  Woud like to discuss with an;yone who has this problem.   Having

[juanitt]

Charlie-I  have been on meds for 11 years and all have side effects that are hard to put up with.  But there are new ones coming out all the time that are getting easier to tolerate. I am on a new (not quite approved)PI which gives the best results so far.  Us long termers also have the added problem of fat in the wrong places.  Woud like to discuss with an;yone who has this problem.   Having HIV is a nasty problem but we can  live with it.  Will reply to all but would like to hear from guys with lipo problems.

[chewie]

Hey guys thought I would add the female long term survivor opinion on the cocktails.  Like some of you I spring from the AZT era and am still reeling from it.  I didn't take any medication for 12 years except over the counter stuff.  when the viral load test started I was way high and named my 2 t-cells.  Funny thing about that was I went into my doc's feeling great and got the number therapy and felt like I had AIDS...go figure.  Today I am going in for gancilovir shots in my eye's so I begin that but I am standing strong on the cocktails I don't want anymore.  I seem to do best with no  objects going into my body.  I would rather have bad counts and lots of energy than feel like I am sick.  Today I am counting my 20th year with this dang virus.  So choose what is right for you based on how you feel not how the drugs make you feel is always going to be my motto

[Rosalind]

Hey Guys, One thing that i have discovered to counter the side effects of ARV's is to eat well a complete and full meal before i take my meds. Normally most of the meds are taken in the morning and before i sleep......this is what works for me. I have a full breakfast fresh juice, fruits, cereals, toast , oats etc not all at the same time i interchange..different foods on each day same thing with dinner.  The logic here is once your stomach is well nourished you will notice that the side effects of the drugs start dissappearing. Today my viral load is undetectable and i have no other complains....am on triomune--2 tablets a day. Every 3 months i include soya products in my diet and most important i think positive and entertain only positive thoughts. When i have no appetite i take a walk.......loss energy your body will need it replaced  and i always regain it back. Guys if i can do it so can you....  :)just think positive and try different things, you will find what works for your body. Listen to what your body is telling you.

[Davidnj]

I was on Viracept and Combiver, had been on Combiver ( or its trail name 3TC n azt) for almost 13 years. The Viracept messed me up for 2 years till I threw it away.

6 months ago I started a new Cocktail of Kaletra, Truvada and Reyetaz.  Within 3 months my Viral load went from 15,000 to undectable, and remains so..  The only side effect I had was diarrea,.  But by eating a banana every morning and taking 2000 mg of calcium, it stopped.

[tammy]

I tried the meds my first combo was combiver and viramune then I was on combiver and viracept. The side effects were so bad I couldn't get out of bed. I went off be a year 2 year next month. I'm still doing good my viral are low and T-cells are high. I'm able to work  and go back to school. I take care of myself with diet and exercise. I reduced the stress in my life actually my puppy does a good job with that. So I'm hoping it be a long time before I have to go back on the cocktail. Actually I almost rather die then go thru it again.URL