Hi and thanks in advance for the support you give doctors give us. i have been on atripla for four months now and I want to know how much margin of time is allowed without causing much problem to my health. I travel a lot between Mountain and Pacific times and the two-hour difference in time give me some concern. I will also be going to Europe soon and there is a seven hour difference, my doctor advised that I do not go to Europe more than once a year, but how about the two hour difference I go through at least eight times a year?

Hello and thank you for your post.

In general, it's not so critical that you take your medications at precisely the same time every day. With a once-daily regimen like Atripla, a several hour window is adequate-- so a couple hour variation with your travel won't have any impact.

As for the travel to Europe, the seven or eight hour change also won't have any significant impact on the effectiveness of your medications, but with the jetlag and potential short interval between doses you could experience somewhat greater side effects. I don't believe that this should force a restriction on the number of trips per year (ie., "once a year).

Hope that helps. BY