I have been on Zerit, Fortovase, Viracept, Videx for many years. I've continuously had diarrhea and very significant night sweats. What do you recommend for these conditions? Thank you in advance for your response, and for all you do for us.

Diarrhea is a common side effect with Fortovase (saquinavir), Viracept (nelfinavir) and Videx (didanosine), but the night sweats don't usually occur as a side effect and make me wonder if something else is going on, such as a chronic infection or other disorder. You doon't provide your CD4 count, and that would be helpful in deciding on what the likely problems are, but regardless the first step should be a thorough medical workup, perhaps including a colonoscopy. If that is negative, the diarrhea can be controlled using anti-diarrheals and the night sweats using acetaminophen or ibuprofen (see the numerous prior questions providing extensive details about these treatments). Also, if possible, a change of medications may help, including a change from Videx tablets to Videx EC.