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Ask the Expert Hot Topics
April 1, 2003

Check out these hot topics at The Body's Ask the Expert forums:
Forum on Switching HIV Treatment For more than four years I've been taking Viramune (nevirapine) and Combivir (AZT+3TC), and I love it! My CD4 count is up from 150 to 500, and my viral load has never been over 350. Thing is, it's never been undetectable either. Should I be worried? What are my options now that my T-20 rescue regimen has failed? Although Sustiva (efavirenz) has controlled my viral load, it's kept me feeling depressed for the past two years. My doctor has suggested a switch to Viramune. What do you think? My doctor feels that Zerit (d4T) is to blame for my neuropathy; I'm also taking Epivir (3TC) and Sustiva. My doctor suggests that I switch the Zerit to Viread (tenofovir). What do you think? I was taking Viracept (nelfinavir) and Combivir when a genotype test found I was becoming resistant to 3TC. My doctor switched me from Viracept to Kaletra (lopinavir + ritonavir) and Videx (ddI) -- but I'm still taking the 3TC in the Combivir. Why? Forum on Cancer, HPV and HIV I was diagnosed with HPV today. What now? My girlfriend has cervical precancer. Could I have picked up my HPV infection from her? Forum on HIV and the Workplace I've had a long-term disability policy for many years through a professional organization that I belong to. I was not HIV positive when I first took out the policy. Since my HIV wasn't a pre-existing condition, am I still covered, or is HIV treated differently from other medical conditions? I have been unemployed for a little over a year and foolishly allowed my insurance coverage to lapse. I just tested positive two weeks ago. Will I be able to get health insurance if I find a job? My supervisor is trying to take disciplinary measures with an incompetent employee who recently revealed he is HIV positive. This person is threatening to involve his lawyers and claims he's done nothing wrong -- that he's sheltered by the Americans with Disability Act. Is this true? I recently tested positive for HIV and CMV retinitis. Should I disclose this information to my human resources manager? Forum on Mental Health and HIV My brother-in-law has had dementia for a long time, and just switched HAART regimens. Is it possible to reverse the brain damage his HIV has caused? My ex-boyfriend purposely infected me with HIV 10 years ago; he's been incarcerated since 1994. I am feeling so depressed. What do I do? What anti-depressants react badly to HIV drugs?		Forum on Starting Treatment Do you think it's beneficial to go on treatment early -- e.g., six months after being infected? An HIV-positive friend who's taking methadone for Bell's Palsy was told she can't take HIV meds yet, but her CD4 is 111 and viral load is well over 700,000. Shouldn't she be on treatment? No meds and healthy, stress-free living: Could that be the answer to HIV? Forum on Safe Sex and HIV Prevention I gave a man oral sex and about 14 or 15 weeks later I found out that he had full-blown AIDS. I'm freaking out. How big of a risk did I take? I've read that hepatitis B is 100 times more contagious than HIV. My fear of STDs has kept me from having sex, but on occasion I've kissed a woman or two. What do I do now? I'm a medical student who had protected sex with a girl I didn't know well; now I'm having all sorts of symptoms. Do I have HIV? Forum on Fatigue and Anemia My hemoglobin has dropped since I started taking Viramune and Combivir two months ago, but my side effects haven't been serious. My doc thinks the culprit is AZT and is considering switching me. Do you agree? Since beginning Sustiva and Combivir in January, my viral load's dropped to undetectable, but my testosterone's down and my blood pressure's up. I've also been depressed for a long time; could the low testosterone have caused that? I've been doing very well on Ziagen (abacavir), Zerit and Kaletra for the last two years, but I feel so tired all the time. Any advice? Off the Beaten Trail Could I get HIV if someone ejaculated into my hamburger? The other day at the supermarket, the checkout person put my soda down in the shopping cart on something that sure looked like blood. Should I still drink the soda? I was just told that I'm HIV positive, and you know what? I'm actually relieved.
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