Hello I have been diagnosed poz for 1 1/2 years and over that period my t-cells have dropped from 390 to 240. My doctor has started me on Truvada and Sustiva once a day at bedtime. I have been on the treatment for about a week and have adjusted very well to it but I have gas all the time, and loose stools in the morning. I am also on Augmentin for a throat infection. I am concerned with the loose stools first thing in the morning and the gas in my stomach. What do you suggest that I do?

AUgmentin often upsets the stomach so it can be hard to separate out which drug is the culprit until the Augmentin stopped. Many patients will have gas/loose stools the first weeks on treatment with antiretroviral drugs and then the symptoms diminish. Some patients are sensitive to the tenofovir in the Truvada causing loose stools. If that is persistent and no other cause is contributing (infection. lactose intolerance, et cetera) then a trial switching to another antiretroviral or use of an antidiarrheal med is often a consideration. KH