Hi, I seroconverted exactly a year ago and have just concluded my first Clinical Trial which put on Kaletra, FTC and D4T for 48 weeks.

I have noticed a loss of fat on my face, under my eyes to be exact, and nowhere else on my body.

I believe that the combination of Kaletra and D4T have been known for causing lipodistrophy and want to change regimen.

My question is: Do I need to change the whole regimen or can I just switch one (i.e. Kaletra or D4T)?

Any suggestion on what would be the easiest switch? I am afraid that by changing the whole regimen I will have to go through new sideffects again.

By the way, I have had an undetectable VL for the last 7 months and a CD4 count of about 600.

Thank you in advance!

Giovanni

In the medium term it would be best to get off both agents. If you are concerned about fat loss, a switch to abacavir from Zerit is the most well evidenced change. This should allow any lost fat to gradually recover and prevent further losses. Switching kaletra to atazanavir/r would also help protect against high lipids, fat accumulations and would reduce tablet load and soing frequency to just once daily Usually I make the changes step by step but generally both agents are well tolerated and should be as easy if not easier that the ones you are taking now regards

Graeme Moyle