Solution to Atripla Side Effects (at least for me)

Hey all, I have been on the "wonder pill" for about 3 years now. Previously was on norvir boosted invirase/truvada combo but the GI problems finally were too much.
Anyway I want to briefly recap what I've learned from some of my homeopathic experiments when trying to deal with Atripla. I've always had side effects. For the first couple months I had extreme dizziness and it felt like I was literally walking on air for the first hour after taking. It felt like a spike in high blood pressure to me. I also dealt with the vivid dreams. They were never scary but I would wake up feeling like I had just gone to bed, as though I had spent the whole night dreaming. On other nights I had terrible hot flashes and night sweats and insomnia. The insomnia, anxiety, and night sweats were often 10 on a scale of 1-10. I'd often take meds at 10pm and not be able to fall asleep until 5am!

But still I battled it out (partly because I just willed myself to do it and partly out of lingering shame and thinking a few side effects were the least I deserved for getting myself into the situation to need these meds in the first place) But I digress...

I have a background in psychology (and a specific interest in psychopharmacology). I first noticed that some of my side effects with Atripla diminished after I started reading up on herbal solutions for anxiety/insomnia (pre-existing issue for me). After doing some research I began taking a nightly dose of about 1000mg passion flower extract. From the first night I noticed that it reduced many of my atripla related side effects (I got used to taking meds at night, re: previous combo). The benefit was not always consistent, however, and I noted overtime that if I ate before my meds this benefit was not as pronounced (more drugs in the system to compensate the herb). But this did encourage me to continue thinking about the root of side effects. The passion flower worked somewhat because it affects GABA receptors, a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. More GABA, less excitation like sweating, racing thoughts, etc. But this is kind of the dirty bomb method.

Common atripla side effects for me and others are: vivid dreams, night sweats, confusion, insomnia, anxiety, gas/GI bloating, etc. These types of mind/body functions are all connected to serotonin. Serotonin is another neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, sexual arousal, appetite in the central nervous system but it also is a major communication chemical for the GI tract. I started reasoning that perhaps the sustiva in atripla was a serotonin antagonist (meaning it was blocking the serotonin receptors in my body and throwing things off wack).

I'm a bit anti medication in general (don't even take tylenol for headaches)...so I didn't want to go on any anti-depressants or anything that would artificially try and raise my serotonin levels to combat the the atripla. Instead I hypothesized that by giving myself more of the base nutrient needed to produce serotonin, I could increase my levels naturally. Serotonin is synthesized from an amino acid called tryptophan. This is an essential amino acid, meaning your body cannot produce it. You must obtain tryptophan from food. I did more research and realized that the availability of tryptophan is a rate limiting aspect of serotonin production, i.e. the more tryptophan consumed, the more serotonin is produced.

Because it is an amino acid that I would normally be getting from foods like milk, cheese, turkey, etc./a natural substance, I felt OK directly introducing more of it to my diet via supplements. After some trial and error I discovered that simply taking my atripla with 1500-2000mg of tryptophan completely eliminates my side effects. No lie. No crazy racing thoughts or soaking the bedsheets with sweat or tossing and turning or exhausting all night dreaming. My little theory worked so well that I might even start taking my meds in the morning (something I could never do and function properly at work).

Just wanted to share my 2 cents about how I have stuck with atripla (which otherwise has been awesome for me). I feel good knowing that I am not taxing my body with even more drugs trying to combat the side effects of the first drug. If anyone is curious about more of my method, feel free to PM me or reply here.

Post Extras: Remind Me!