Im female 42 yrs old, ive been taking trizivir for 8 years, only side effect fat loss on arms, buttocks and legs and fat accumalation on stomach. My doctor said my drugs are old and that they may cause heart problems in later life, he suggests atripla but i am worried about side effects, i adhere extremely well and im fit healthy dont smoke or drink, i sleep well. However my father suffered with heart problems should i change?

This is a question that many people are dealing with. There is sometimes a disconnect between the main effect (suppressing HIV) and teh side effects of some medications. In your case the meds are working fine to suppres the virus but you are having one side effect (lipoatrophy or "fat loss") and may be at risk for another (heart attack).

The heart attack risk comes from a few studies that showed a higher chance of having a heart attack in people who were using abacavir (part of trizivir) than in people who were not taking abacavir. The highest chance of having a heart attack was in people who had more risk factors for heart disease (such as smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, etc). Other studies have not found an increase in heart attacks with abacavir. So this risk has to be assessed in view of the overall balance of risk and benefit expected from the medication for you and the factors in your life that may add to your chances of having a heart attack.

You are a young woman who will likely be on treatment for many years (decades) to come. It is always prudent to re-evaluate treatments as new medications and information comes out to be sure that you are on the safest and best combination for you. That doesn't mean that meds have to be changed all the time (or ever), but having a discussion with your health care provider and weighing the options is a very good thing.

Joe