Hi Doctors. Thanks for all you have been doing. Since testing positive in 1999 this forum has been such a huge help. Just to let you know, I started meds after 5 years of my CD4 count sitting on the borderline between 250 and 350 and my viral load hovering around 8000 to 15000. At the start of September, my CD4 went a little below 200 (the magic number) so I finally decided to bite the bullet by taking Sustiva/Combivir. And...I have been really fortunate: absolutely no side effects so far!! My dreams are a bit more vivid but they don't affect my sleep nor my waking hours. I do have a question about adherence, however. While I have not forgotten to take any doses yet, I have been 45 minutes to an hour late taking my Combivir on a few occasions. Do you think that is serious or is there a window in the dosing schedule for my drug combo? Thanks again for all your help.

Thanks for your question. Your feedback about how you're tolerating medications should be informative to those who are considering starting meds.

We always strive to get our patients to be as on-time as possible when taking their medications. However, most modern HIV medications have a pretty large margin of error when it comes to hitting the mark for timing. A 1-2 hour change from time to time shouldn't be cause for concern.

Thanks for reading. BY