i love this board, diagnosed last year and started atripla in september 08, my cd4 count was 298 and viral load 24.000 after 6 weeks cd4 is almost 400 and vload is 160 copies. my doctor says this is great. my question is i am a bodybuilder and have been taking ephedrine and caffeine for years on and off to get ready for that shredded look in the summer, my question is if i lower my caffeine pill to 25mg which is 1 pill and also 1pill of ephedrine hci 25mg before my workouts to give me that extra boost, will that make atripla less effective?? i have no side effects from atripla the dizziness stopped and i take it sometimes and go to work, i work nights with no problem, last week i did the 1ephedrine tablet and 1 caffeine tablet about 10hours after i took atripla and i powered thru my cardio and weight workout. after being diagnosed i stopped everything cause i got depressed but really love this energy now. my recent labs showed all blood work was fine liver, kidney, glucose etc. in your opinion can i continue with 1 and 1 and maybe some days 2 and 2 or am i risking less atripla in my blood and liver kidney damage...thanks you so much for your answers in the past you have been a tremendous help and i recommend this board to all my friends..

Bodybuilders have been using the combination of ephedrine+caffeine+ aspirin for years for energy and fat loss. I have taken ephedrine and I agree with you about its energy enhancing properties that make work outs for potent. However, we need to be extra careful since the FDA has banned this compound in supplements due to reports of death related to heart attacks and dehydration. Blood pressure and heart rate can increase while using ephedrine, and more so when used in combination with caffeine. Have you measured your resting and exercise blood pressure and heart rates?

There are no interaction data for ephedrine and HIV medications.

I would be conservative and only use low doses while you monitor your blood pressure and heart rate. Also, avoid taking it later during the day since it can affect sleep. Drink lots of water while you are working out since ephedrine can increase body temperature and water loss.

Nelson