I have been on Lexiva, Truvada and Norvir for nearly 3 years. This treatment has worked fine (besides some minors second effects). I've been recommended to change to Epzicom (I daily) and Reyataz (2 daily), but also I have heard that this medicine can produce more Lipodystrophy and Wasting than others and I am a little afraid to change meds. My doctor also proposes to eliminate the Norvir and increase the dose of Lexiva (meaning 1 truvada and 2 lexiva in the morning and 2 lexiva at night). What would you recommend? Is there a less invasive treatment? I just want to stick to a plan where I do not have major body changes and cardiovascular risks (cholesterol, etc) thanks

Thanks for your question.

It is not clear to me why your doctor is suggesting a change. The choices you mention seem to be "Norvir" sparing. It may be that your triglyceride level is high, which can be seen with Norvir. You should ask to find out. Simplification you describe can be successful: a study called Aries recently showed that switching from Epzicom/Norvir/Reyataz to Epzicom/Reyataz (dose adjusted) was successful. The other issues are: be sure that your virus has no previous protease inhibitor resistance (which may require that Norvir be used as a booster to remain effective) and that your doctor has a blood test result indicating that you are HLAB5701 negative before changing to Epzicom. HLAB5701 is a marker of your genetic risk of developing a possibly severe reaction to a component os Epzicom. Best, Joe