Hello and let me also add my thanks for this incredible service. I have a question about the timing of taking one's meds, similar but not quite the same as a couple you've recently answered.

I have just started on Atripla about a week ago and, pursuant to the general recommendation, am taking it at bedtime. I am wondering about the half life of the medication in the body and how much flexibility one has in the timing. I don't go to bed the same time each night and, from what I've read so far, assume that + or - 2 hours or so is not a big deal. But, just how far can you push it? Is 10pm one night and 2am the next too big a swing? They say if you miss a dose then don't try to make it up, just go on to the next regular dose. But, how long a time period is considered a missed dose after which you should just go on to the next one? 6 hrs? 8 hrs? 10? My guess is that the scientific answer is going to depend on a number of factors such as viral load, weight, metabolism, etc., but I'm just trying to not screw this up. Thanks for your help.

Hello and thank you for both your post and thoughts.

One need not live by the clock when taking HIV medications- it's perfectly ok to have a +/- 4 hour change in doses. There isn't good data on just how far to push it; but so long as most of the doses are around the same time, any single variation probably won't have significant consequences.

Be well, BY