my VL was undetective and my cd4 count was low so i started taking a supplement call thorne myco-immune to raise my cd4 , my cd4 went up from 290 to 397 , but my VL went to 460. i want to know, did the myco-immune have some interaction with the hiv drug atripla and shoul i stop taking it .

Hello and thanks for your post.

Thorne myco-immune (according to their website) is a extract of several mushrooms. It's touted as having immune benefits by increasing the level of immune modulators in the body. Some of those cited (NF-kappa B, interleukins) are known to increase CD4 levels (though the benefit of this remains unclear) and probably simultaneously stimulate the replication of HIV.

In your case, your labs illustrate the dangers of using supplements that have not been fully evaluated with HIV medications. While you may indeed have had an increase in your CD4, it looks like you've also stimulated HIV replication (or it has lowered the levels of the drugs in Atripla to ineffective levels). (It's also possible that the increase in viral load was an unrelated "blip", but that would be coincidental). If the later happens while taking HIV medications (like your Atripla), there is a very real chance that the virus will develop resistance to the antiretroviral medications.

If I were you, I'd stop the myco-immune immediately and let your doctor know about when you were taking the product. Hopefully your viral load will return to undetectable levels.

Best of health, BY