Forum on Managing Side Effects of HIV Treatment: Change on Regimen

Please Note: Due to volume considerations, not all questions can be answered. Questions most likely to be answered will be those of general interest to a broad group of visitors to this forum. Questions pertaining to a specific case; requests for diagnosis, medical advice, or second opinion; or requests for opinions about untested alternative therapies will generally not be answered.

		Change on Regimen May 30, 2003 Dear Doctor I have been diagnosed HIV positive since Jan 1997 and started with drugs of AZT and DDI. Prior to taking drugs, VL and CD4 were 28000 and 294, respectively. Due to drugs resistance, my drugs regimen were changed to AZT, 3TC, and Stocrin around Sep 1998. For your information, my doctor repalced D4T with AZT for above mentioned regimen because of skinny face and lipodystrophy. The latest Lab test of VL and CD4 on 23 Feb 2003 were 282 and 497. Before these, they were <50 and 460, respectively. I will check VL and CD4 on 20 JUn 2003. In case of drugs resistance, in your opinion, what drugs shall be recommended. I don't like to take Protease Inhibitor in order to prevent Coronary Heart Disease. If I can choose. Thanking you in advance Bye Upto now, I am still on AZT, 3TC, and Stocrin.


Advertisement Response from Dr. Henry The link between protease inhibitor and heart disease is unclear. Atazanavir will soon be available which is a two pill once a day protease inhibitor with little impact on lipid levels. That might be a good option to add to your regimen. You likely have some modest degree of NRTI resistance with at least the M184V mutation (3TC). Adding tenofovir and/or abacavir is a good option depending on other details of your situation. If you added those drugs your regimen would be Trizivir (AZT + 3TC + abacavir) + Stocrine + Viread= 4 pills total and would still save PIs for later use. KH Want to read more questions and answers on this subject? Our experts have answered many similar questions!

Please remember that this forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not engaged through this forum in rendering legal or medical advice or professional services. Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither The Body nor any sponsor is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

Questions and messages posted to this forum are not statements of advice, opinion, or information of The Body, Body Health Resources Corporation or any sponsor of this forum. While neither The Body nor Body Health Resources Corporation regularly reviews posted content, we reserve the right to delete, move, or edit postings if we deem it appropriate under the circumstances. Visitors submitting questions remain solely responsible for the content of their messages.

Information provided by experts is general only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease, or relied upon as legal or other professional advice. This information is not a substitute for professional advice or care. If you have or suspect you may have a health or legal problem, you should consult your own health care provider or your attorney.

Copyright notice.

The Body is a service of Body Health Resources Corporation, 250 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10107. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Body Health Resources Corporation, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your healthcare provider.