I recently switched from a Seq/Ret/DDI/Abac/D4T regime to Sustiva/Abac/DDI/3TC/Teno/Kaletra due to the fact that I had been well controlled under the former regime and my Dr. thought we could safely start addressing my moderately elevated Triglycerides and cholesterol by changing to an easier to take (less pills) and possibly better profile regime for tri/chol.

Unfortunately, my Tri/Chol went through the roof when we added d4T back in to try to get < 50 VL faster (VL slowly going down from a blip of 1000, 800, 600, 400 but over 3 months - but didn't end up needing it as my VL went < 50 while waiting for the last VL results but after starting d4t) and we decided to stop my medications for a few months upon which my Tri/Chol numbers plunged back down almost to normal.

I have started back up on Kaletra/Teno/3TC/Abac/DDI/nevirapine regime and the tri/chol numbers are moderately elevated again.(still waiting for VL results)

Based on the above, I have a few questions:

1) Does the combination sound like it makes sense if we are trying to reduce tri/chol problems?

2) Is there a list somewhere that actually shows relative 'badness' of the drugs on tri/chol counts?

3) I have just started body building to gain mass and as such am eating considerably more with a lot more protein intake as all the body building programs recommend. Will simply eating more exacerbate my problem or is it possible to still gain mass while trying to deal with elevated Tri/Chol counts at the same time?

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

1) Does the combination sound like it makes sense if we are trying to reduce tri/chol problems?

Not really. Regimens containing kaletra in comparative studies have performed worse than other protease inhibitors in terms of lipids. The profile has been particularly bad when Kaletra is combined with a NNRTI in treatment experienced individuals. The switch in your nucleoside analog backbone from d4T to tenofovir may help your lipids.

2) Is there a list somewhere that actually shows relative 'badness' of the drugs on tri/chol counts?

Not as such. However, look out for review articles on HIV websites which can inform you about information derived from studies where different protease inhibitors have been compared.

3) I have just started body building to gain mass and as such am eating considerably more with a lot more protein intake as all the body building programs recommend. Will simply eating more exacerbate my problem or is it possible to still gain mass while trying to deal with elevated Tri/Chol counts at the same time?

Several small studies have suggested that regular exercise and increasing muscle mass (that not with the assistance of anabolics) may lead to some improvement in triglycerides and insulin sensitivity. Proteins should not be a problem in this regard but you should discuss the matter further with your dietician.

Best wishes

Graeme Moyle