hello - i have just started the above combo and am a tad concerned that there isn't much info on it. particularly on the 'blogs' not many folks using this. i was in a bit of dire straights with a CD4-99 & platelets-22,000 - still waiting on viral load & geno/phenotype. in any case, is this not a well received regimen in the 'community' and if not, why?

thanks so much. concerned...

Hello concerned and thanks for posting.

Yours is a pretty serious condition, with very low counts. It is indeed a good thing that you've started on medications.

Your regimen isn't that bizzarre, just a "tad" dated by current US standards. Tenofovir+FTC (Truvada) is a preferred NRTI component in all current guidelines, only to be avoided in persons with kidney (and perhaps, bone) disease. Lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) was once a workhorse protease inhibitor in the US- used in first line treatment (especially if drug resistance patterns weren't known), but whose popularity has waned with the advent of better tolerated PIs, such as atazanavir (Reyataz) and darunavir (Prezista).

Perhaps with some initial clinical/laboratory improvement and that elusive resistance data, you and your doctor can discuss additional treatment options.

BTW, here's TheBody.com's link to treatment guidelines.

Be well, BY