Greetings, I am a 27 year old African American living with HIV for over 10 years now. I have been on meds for over 2 years, but around December of 2003 I began to notice that my skin was beginning to get darker. Since then I have gone from what some what call "high yellow" to a caramel brown. I am currently taking epivir, kaletra and viread. Do either of you have any idea why this may be happening and/or what I can do to reverse it (or at least minimize further skin darkening). I would really appreciate any input that you can give. Sincerely, Keith R. Green

The side effect you report has been reported in the "old days" with zidovudine. More recently, it is occasionally reported with other nucleoside analogues and, to a more limited extent, protease inhibitors. Interestingly, it is a bit more commonly seen with Emtriva in recent times. You may wish to look at your medications and see if any of this fits.

Another important thing would be to look at other causes of this, such as endocrine problems like Addison's disease, or even liver diseases of some types. All of this can usually be figured out with the right blood tests.