Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.
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In a Daze
Apr 29, 2008
I'm on Kaletra and having many side effects. I've tried Glutamine and Tums, but have resorted now to Immodium AD. It was helping, but now the problems are just tearing through it. I'm tired and my hands are shaking, I'm having pain in my abdoment and frankly I'm disgusted with it. Sorry. Today, I felt like a prizefighter on the mat. I was in a daze I couldn't shake. I've got a stressful job, and today was particularly hard. What do I need to do?
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Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello,
The gastrointestinal side effects associated with Kaletra can be significant. Sometimes simethicone (Gas-X, Beano, etc.) can help with bloating and gas. In addition Metamucil can sometimes help with diarrhea. Often it's the Norvir component of Kaletra that is the culprit for these annoying and at times incapacitating symptoms. Ultimately if your HIV specialist has performed the appropriate workup to conclude that your Kaletra is the cause of your tummy problems and if the symptomatic measures above don't adequately control the symptoms, a change in antiretroviral medication should be considered. Any changes should be based on the results of your resistance tests (genotype and phenotype) and past history of medications already tried. The workup for causes of diarrhea and abdominal discomfort should include an assessment to rule out infectious agents (parasites and other germs).
Good luck! Try not to get frustrated. Chances are you have many excellent options for controlling your HIV disease without having to move your office into the bathroom.
Dr. Bob
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