PASTOR ANDRENA INGRAM knows never to schedule a meeting before 10 a.m. Before then, "I'm taking care of business," she says. Andrena believes her morning diarrhea is due in part to taking meds at night; that's why she takes them then, so she can make her bathroom trip before her day begins. It's a far cry from the diarrhea she had on previous meds: "It's not debilitating, but it is a routine."

Andrena has cut back on eating some things she loves, like dairy products and foods that are spicy or fried. Some items have been hard to let go -- she still drinks coffee with milk, though both caffeine and dairy likely contribute to her gut symptoms, which include passing gas and bloating.

Andrena occasionally takes over-the-counter anti-gas or antidiarrheal medications, but prefers not to add more pills to her regimen of Norvir, Prezista and Truvada. So, for now, she manages her gut symptoms by adapting her diet and routine; utilizing the air freshener she carries at all times ("They have those tiny bottles of Febreze"); and, of course, employing her wonderful sense of humor.

Read Andrena's blog at TheBody.com/pastor-ingram.

IN THE EARLY DAYS of combination HIV therapy, Steven was a "guinea pig" for every drug study he could join. It was his Norvir-containing regimens (including Kaletra, which has some Norvir in it) that caused gut side effects such as painful bloating and chronic diarrhea. He treated the symptoms with homeopathic remedies, drugs like Lomotil and prescription-strength Imodium, and fiber in the form of Metamucil that he added to his diet.

Then, in 2007, Steven was treated for HPV-related anal cancer. "Radiation treatment killed all the friendly flora in my gut," he says. His doctor at the time prescribed "the big guns" of gut symptom management: tincture of opium, which is often used when other options have proven ineffective. "It's not mind or mood altering, but I wasn't too hot on the idea that it was a controlled substance," Steven remembers. Still, it worked beautifully, and has ever since. "I generally take four or five drops under my tongue, before I eat anything -- or else my food will go right through me, undigested."

Today, Steven still participates in drug studies -- his current HIV medication regimen consists of an investigational drug -- and his viral load is finally undetectable. Steven also remains cancer free.