Don't see your question? Ask it in our Choosing Your Meds forum or Managing Side Effects of HIV Treatment forum!

Basics | Tropism Testing | Drug Resistance | Side Effects

Basics

• Is Selzentry appropriate for someone just starting HIV medications or is it only for medication experienced patients?
• Will the new drugs like Selzentry work as well in older people as in younger people?
• Selzentry sounds like a groundbreaking drug. What makes it special? How will it change HIV treatment?
• Is Selzentry suitable for someone who has hepatitis C and hemophilia in addition to HIV?

Tropism Testing

• I've heard that Selzentry only works for people who have a CCR5-tropic strain of HIV. Is there a test that can determine whether Selzentry will work for you?
• How can I find a lab that does tropism testing?
• Will CCR5 inhibitors like Selzentry work in people who have dual or mixed tropism virus?
• I know that CCR5 inhibitors like Selzentry block a type of portal on CD4 cells called CCR5 receptors, but can't block another type of receptor, called CXCR4. Would it help if people with HIV took CCR5 and CXCR4 inhibitors together?

Drug Resistance

• I have become resistant to all HIV medications. I try to stay as healthy as possible. My friends say I should look into alternative meds. What do you think of this?
• Is it possible to develop resistance to Selzentry?
• Six months after starting Selzentry, my viral load dropped to 550, but over the past six months my viral load has been inching upward. Is that a sign I have developed resistance to the Selzentry?
• I have a CD4 count of 30 and resistance to many HIV drugs, but my strain of HIV is still sensitive to Selzentry, Isentress (raltegravir) and Intelence (etravirine). How can my doctor and I piece together a regimen?
• I have a viral load of 258 and resistance to HIV medications in three classes. My doctor wants me to start taking Selzentry, Fuzeon (enfuvirtide, T-20), Truvada (tenofovir/FTC) and Prezista (darunavir), but I don't want to take Fuzeon because it's so expensive. Would Selzentry be effective without another drug from a new class?

Side Effects

• I've been HIV positive since 1987 and have been on a lot of treatments. I am having a very hard time getting used to my new treatment. I am on Epivir, Isentress, Selzentry and Intelence and have a lot of side effects. Do most people taking this kind of regimen have such a difficult time with side effects?
• Is Selzentry a good option for a treatment-experienced person trying to avoid gastrointestinal side effects?
• Would Selzentry be a good alternative for people who can't deal with injection site reactions from taking Fuzeon?

For frequently asked questions on other HIV/AIDS topics, click here.