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Ask the Expert Hot Topics
February 3, 2003

Check out these hot topics at The Body's Ask the Expert forums:
Forum on Starting Treatment My viral load is 20,000 and my T-cell count is 322. What are the risks of waiting to begin therapy? Immediately after my HIV diagnosis I took 19 months of HAART, and have been off meds for 17 months since. My viral load's now in the 20,000s and my CD4 is dropping through the 400s. Shouldn't the early treatment have worked better? General Treatment Questions Since I was infected eight years ago, I've been taking Norvir (ritonavir) and Combivir (AZT + 3TC). They've worked great with few side effects, but I've been reading a lot lately about new and simpler meds on the market. Should I switch? I'm tired all the time, and no new combos will work because I'm resistant to everything. Are there any medications in the pipeline for someone like me? I thought you were ALWAYS supposed to use at least three drugs for HIV treatment, but now some docs are saying two drugs can work too. What's the deal? My brother's CD4 count has dropped from 600 to 140 and he's changed his regimen. He feels like his time is up; what do I do? Although my boyfriend's viral load is undetectable after five months of treatment, his CD4 count dropped from 350 to 159. What does this mean? Forum on AIDS-Related Cancers How big should a lymph node be before I start to worry about it? Say a person has vaginal warts; is there a chance of infecting the anus while bathing? Forum on Lipodystrophy & Wasting Can inhaled steroids cause problems like bone loss in people with HIV? Is it safe to take creatine (a muscle-builder) as a wasting treatment?		Forum on Other Side Effects and HIV Complications Can switching from three-times-a-day Sustiva (efavirenz) to once-a-day Sustiva make the side effects (especially that light-headed "stoned" feeling) worse? I have virtually no energy, even though my viral load is undetectable and my CD4 count is 400. I'm taking a four-drug regimen, and have low hemoglobin but normal levels of iron and vitamin B12. What should I do? Which drugs are most likely to cause peripheral neuropathy (numbness/pain in the hands and feet)? How long does it last? My Agenerase (amprenavir)/Norvir (ritonavir) regimen works great, but also causes really bad diarrhea. I'm taking more than eight doses of an anti-diarrheal every day; is there a danger from taking it so much? Is there a link between Crixivan (indinavir) and hair loss -- and is the hair loss permanent? I've heard that milk thistle shouldn't be used as a liver antioxidant by people on HIV meds. Can lecithin or alpha-lipoic acid be used safely instead? Forum on HIV Transmission and Safe Sex The man who infected me never told me he had HIV, and he's still having unprotected sex with people. What can I do to stop him from deliberately infecting other innocent people? I'm absolutely, 100 percent sure that this person I've known all my life is a virgin. Can I just use birth control pills so he wouldn't have to wear a condom? I've heard that some people may have a "natural immunity" to HIV. How is this possible, and what does it mean? What's the worst thing that can happen if you masturbate every single day? Can you get cancer or any other disorders?
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