Are there any tip or tricks to managing abdominal/lower back pain related to taking Norvir?

I take this drug I gelcap 2 times a day and am after one week experiencing relatively intense abdominal cramping and lower back pain which is about 8 on a scale of 1-10 and makes it difficult to sit comfortably or to stand up from a sitting position.

Should I expect this to diminish?

Can I do anything?

When should I speack to my Dr.?

I had to stop a regimen including Kaletra after 7 years due to severe diarrhea and I don't want to have to stopp this too.

Often no easy answer to managing ritonavir side effect. Checking to see if is possible to reduce the dose (some protease inhibistors only require 1 100 mg ritonavir dose/day) of ritoanvir can be helpful. Anti-gas, calcium supplements, fiber capsules, macrobiotics-all may help variably. If nothing helps then a review of what antiretroviral switch options (ie a NNRTI or raltegravir or maraviroc based regimen) you have is warranted. For patients with no drug resistance a non-ritonavir based PI regimen (such as atazanvir with Epzicom or fosamprenavir). I would involve your HIV doc early in the discussion given the amount of discomfort you are experienceing. An evaluation looking for contributing conditions may also have merit. KH