Hello, I am 26 and I was diagnosed with HIV in Oct of 2008 and right now I have a CD4 of 257 and viral load of 159,000, I just started Atripla one week ago. I am getting past the dizziness but I am incredibly tired all the time. I have gained some weight (bad kind) and I need to exercise. I am normally a tall lean high metabolsm person, now i am tall and gaining some fat around my waist and neck (i lost my jawline!)I have read that for my body type I should do large muscle group heavy lifts like squatts, deadlifts and the one where you pick the bar from the ground to over your head in order to build muscle. I am very nervous about doing that though because right now just getting up to drive takes everything out of me. Should I just give up on the idea of being muscular? I am worried I cannot build muscle now. I am not sure how to combat the fatigue, my doctor says it will get better in a few months but I dont want to gain anymore weight that I have to then try and take off. What should i do?

Your fatigue will probably get better if you get over the 10-15 day effects of Sustiva on the central nervous system that cause nightmares and vivid dreams. But if you do not get better after a month, talk to your doctor about using another HIV medication regimen.

You just started using Atripla so I do not understand how you say your body is changing this fast.

Be easy on yourself during this first month and try to work out as soon as you start feeling better. Anyone can lean out and build muscle after sticking to at least 12 weeks of exercise using weight training three days a week for an hour plus 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Some people respond faster than others due to genetics, diet, sleep quality, medications, and hormones. So, dont give up and keep exercising! It takes weeks to start noticing improvements, so have patience.

Some people gain weight after starting HAART, so it is very important to exercise and keep a balanced diet of low sugar and more complex carbs and proteins.

Let me know how it goes.

Nelson