Thinking Of Stopping Hiv Meds

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stopping hiv meds

Posted by Anonymous, 3 Replies

My doctor yesterday threw me for a loop when he asked me about stopping my meds. I have been HIV+ since 1989 with a viral load of 200 or under and a T cell count of over 1100. These numbers have remained relatively consistent for years. Does anyone... Read more »

medication, thinking to stop taking it:

Posted by Anonymous, 6 Replies

What would happen if i decide to stop taking my medication that i am on, Combovir & Sustiva? Would i get really sick & the disease would progrest to the point that i would die?

Thanks. Read more »

can't stop thinking

Posted by Anonymous, 2 Replies

i STILL cant stop thinking i have hiv and how stupid i was. i finally finished off the doxycycline for whatever std i had since the dr. didnt bother testing the discharge and treated me for everything, though he did say it looked like gonnorea. my... Read more »

Stopping Med

Posted by Anonymous, 2 Replies

been HIV + since '94. Had some tough times with meds at the beginning (kidney stones, etc), but since switching to Sustiva/Combivir it's been heaven. no problems, easy, easy schedule. Today (09APR02) My droc advised that I should consider taking a... Read more »

22 poz..stopped taking meds/not disclosing status

Posted by Anonymous, 16 Replies

i was diagnosed hiv+ december 2003. i had an insane viral load of over a million. my initial cd4 was 280. i began taking medication and within 2 months i gained back the 50 pounds of weight i lost and became healthier than ive ever been before. i... Read more »

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Stop HIV meds or simply continue?

I am a person co-infected with HIV/HCV. I tested positive for HIV back in 1996 when my viral load was high and my T cell count had dropped to close to 300. My doctor then put me on my first regimen which consisted of Invirase (later updated to...

Response from Gerald Pierone, M.D.

AIDS Research and Treatment Center of the Treasure Coast

It is reasonable to stop your HIV medications for a while. We worry about long-term liver toxicity of antiretroviral medications and this is why some clinicians suggest stopping. The essential question is whether HIV infection must be treated... Read more »

Lactic Acidosis & HIV meds stopped

I have elevated lactic acid. this is after taking 5 weeks of effavarenz, d4t, and ddi. Sustiva made me psychiatrically ill so we stopped all meds. VL is now 0 from 31,000 5 wks ago. Dr does not want to put me back on meds because of this new...

Response from Kathleen E. Squires, M.D.

University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine

Dear Scared:Unfortunately, we are still learning about the clinical condition known as lactic acidosis and do not have all the answers. It is confusing and frightening when you hear that this condition can potentially be fatal. Let's try to... Read more »

stopping the meds

my hiv infection was discovered very early. after 2 weeks after my infection. because i was in the acute stage my numbers were very exaggerated. i had a viral load of something like 500,000 and my t cells were in the 200's. so my doctor started...

Response from Brian Boyle, M.D., J.D.

Cornell University, Weill Medical College

You don't mention how long you have been on therapy, but I presume given your description that it has been a while. I don't think it is unreasonable to consider a treatment interruption at this point, especially since you report feeling so... Read more »

stopping meds sustiva/combivir

Hi,My fiance was diagnosed with hiv 1 year ago. He was put on a regimen of sustiva/combivir. When diagnosed his viral load was 9,000 and cell count was 280. He stopped taking his meds a few months ago approx in Oct 2004. He went to an appointment in...

Response from Keith Henry, M.D.

University of Minnesota, School of Medicine

Stopping HIV Meds usually results in a return of the HIV Level to pre-treatment levels over several months and a drop in the CD4 cell count. Stopping a Sustiva based regimen runs the risk for resistance. When one of my patients stops meds I... Read more »

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Articles

Stopping HIV Meds May Double the Rate of Liver Fibrosis in Co-Infected

From a study reported in the April 24, 2011 issue of AIDS , people co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C who stop taking their HIV meds run about a 2.5 times higher risk of liver fibrosis compared to those who don't interrupt their HIV regimens.... Read more »

This Month in HIV: Stopping HIV/AIDS in the Black Community

This is Bonnie Goldman, and I'm here with Phill Wilson, executive director and founder of the Black AIDS Institute. Even though African Americans have been disproportionately affected by HIV for many years, much of the black community seems not to... Read more »

South Africa "AIDS Dissident" Dispute: Time to Stop and Think

A bizarre dispute around "AIDS dissidents" who argue that HIV does not cause AIDS and oppose standard treatment to prevent maternal-infant transmission threatens to damage the World AIDS Conference in Durban (July 9-14, 2000) and divert attention... Read more »

Growing Up With Meds

In 1996, combination HIV therapy gave us the ability to suppress HIV and allow the immune system to rebuild itself. After years of struggling with treatments that were only partially effective, we finally had the technology to dramatically alter the... Read more »

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