Well explained @A myHIVteam Member!

I did about 10 years ago. I knew why so I stopped my meds (bad idea, very bad idea). While LA symptoms subsided, my CD4 dropped to around 128 and my VL skyrocketed to over 1.5mm. Like I said not a good idea. When I got back on meds, the current cocktails included Genvoya or Atripla. And while both seem to keep my HIV infection sort of under control (my CD4 count started slowly to raise and my VL to ever so slightly drop) the LA symptoms returned with a vengeance.

It took for us to switch me to Biktarvy and change my lifestyle. I abandoned the SAD (Standard American Diet). I consume no processed foods of any kind. No sugar, no alcohol, no wheat, rice, potatoes, or corn in any form (stay away from most carbs except fiber carbs). No fast foods from anywhere and avoid hydrogenated oils and fats (corn, vegetable, pine, canola oils).

I have to basically re-teach myself how to cook and bake. It’s been a very rewarding journey. Between my husband and I, we have lost a little over 100 pounds in around 4 years. He lost about 40 (he has a smaller than me), I have lost about 68. We have dropped several clothes sizes. We are more active, sleep better, work hard and “play” even harder… 🤭 yup, my libido is up to its old antics again! My CD4 is up to 388 last we checked on Nov 23 and my VL = Undetectable under 50 copies. No signs of LA symptoms and to keep my liver, kidneys & pancreas in check, at my NP’s recommendation I take a Milk Thistle every day.

I feel and I’m happy to be alive. Good luck to you in your journey my friend…

Mentioned Users

A myHIVte...

Lactic acidosis is a condition caused by the buildup of lactic acid in the blood. The condition is a rare but serious side effect of some HIV medicines in the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) drug class. Fortunately, lactic acidosis is less likely to occur with newer NRTIs than with NRTIs used in the past.
Early signs of lactic acidosis can include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss. These symptoms may not seem serious, but they can be the first signs of life-threatening lactic acidosis.
Signs of life-threatening lactic acidosis can include above-normal heart rate, rapid breathing, yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice), and weakness. If you are taking HIV medicines and have these signs of lactic acidosis, get medical help immediately.
If an HIV medicine is causing lactic acidosis, the HIV medicine should be stopped immediately. However, stopping an HIV medicine because of lactic acidosis does not mean stopping HIV treatment. Choosing an HIV medicine to replace one that is causing lactic acidosis will depend on a person’s individual needs.

@A myHIVteam Member I hope you'll put together a recipe book..

Mentioned Users

A myHIVte...

No but I heard it causes low blood pressure and less oxygen is reaching the bodies tissues. Could be your meds I hope your ok let us know how it goes I’m routing for you 😢

If on an antidepressant, Lactic acidosis built-up can be a side effect of the meds, too. Then, sometimes, it can be due to all the meds interacting. I highly recommend taking a Pharmacogenomics test. Here is more info on it: https://www.psycom.net/pharmacogenomics-definition. Hope this helps.