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Ask the Expert Hot Topics
March 3, 2003

Check out these hot topics at The Body's Ask the Expert forums:
Forum on Starting Treatment My CD4 count is 667 and my viral load is 654. My doctor says I don't need meds now. Why is that? What do you think is the life expectancy of someone diagnosed with HIV today? My CD4 count is 31 and I have a general feeling of weakness. Can starting treatment help me -- and if so, what should I start taking? Forum on Mental Health and HIV I am taking 40 mg of Paxil a day to help with depression. Do you think Remeron would have fewer side effects? I am taking d4T (Zerit, stavudine), 3TC (Epivir, lamivudine), and Sustiva (efavirenz) for HIV, as well as Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide) and trazodone for low-level depression. Can I safely take ginkgo as a supplement too? Is there anything else I can do to increase my concentration? I found out my partner is HIV positive by looking at his prescription medicines. I've been with him for four years. How should I confront him? Sometimes I feel like the only woman in the world who became infected through heterosexual sex. I really would like to date, but I feel like damaged goods -- no one would want me. Forum on Hepatitis C and HIV Co-Infection Is safe sex for couples with hepatitis C necessary? What are the most common complications of hepatitis C infection? Forum on HIV and the Workplace I am an HIV-positive nurse and want to switch jobs. How can I ensure that I will be able to get health insurance with my new employer? My HIV-positive partner wants to begin his own business. Can he still maintain his long-term disability and health insurance?		Forum on Lipodystrophy and HIV-Related Wasting I've been on AZT (Retrovir, zidovudine), 3TC and Viramune (nevirapine) for the last five years. Fortunately my health is fine, but I've got this thing on my belly my doctor calls abdominal lipodystropy or lipomatosis. What can I do to remove it? I've been positive for many years and have lipoatrophy. I've been taking AndroGel and an HIV combination. I want to improve my physique; would Oxandrin would be a safe option for me? I'm on Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) and Combivir (AZT + 3TC). In an attempt to reverse wasting -- I recently lost 22 pounds and some muscle -- I would like to take steroids, likely Sostenon 250. Are there any problems with taking both HIV meds and steroids? I've been on HIV meds for seven years. No matter what I do, including exercise and a good diet, my HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels remain low. Can you recommend any nutritional supplements or foods that help increase HDL cholesterol? Forum on Fatigue and Anemia I have hepatitis C and often feel weak and dizzy. Is this anemia? Is it OK to mix human growth hormone with my daily shots of Procrit? Forum on Cancer and HIV Could Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) tumors be treated using leeches? Do I have KS? That red/purple spot is driving me crazy! When is enough lymphoma treatment enough? Off the Beaten Trail Can my partner and I "create" HIV while we're having sex? I rubbed my eye after touching a piece of paper. If someone with HIV touched that same piece of paper first, am I at risk?
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