HIV Support Group

Well, you hope not to have much, or any, HIV in your brain cells to begin with. HIV can get into brain cells, and other nerve cells, but it is a lot better for you if it does not.

If the virus does get in there, and there are no drugs there, then it can replicate. If it gets in and there is a good inhibitory drug there, it can't replicate unless it develops resistance to that drug.

Although my #'s are great at this time, an initial genotype was done three years ago to test for resistance, and yes, as most newly infected do indeed have these days. Atripla has been my med and the Sustiva component of three drug regimine penetrates the blood-brain-barrier. She explained that *especially* since HIV initially attacked my central nervous system with peripheral neuropathy *BEFORE* starting any meds, that having a med to inhibit replication in brain would be my best option. She also stated that researchers believe that is why Sustiva induces some pretty wild dreams. My first night on Atripla I had a dream that a Serbian pregnant woman was chasing me around with a butcher-knife, swearing it was my baby! Being 100% gay, this was pretty strange. I still have pretty vivid dreams, but being an artist/writer/musician, it is kinda like a creativity enhancing drug. One last thing: IF Sustiva is what they gave you (probably other meds that penetrate as well by now), it *WILL* make you have a false-positive for THC in any drug test....it got me in trouble with the Veteran's Admin. initially because I was on pain management, and they only took 2 weeks to step me off pretty high dosage of Morphine, which instigated my now 4 months of diarrhea. I divorced the VA system after their incompetence, as I even brought the drug-data on Sustiva, mentioning therein. Thought I's let you know that in case you work where this may be an issue. Peace and be good to your brain!

Forgot to add that a more specific spectral test can be done to confirm the false-positive, if Sustiva is your new drug.
Peace

Thanks for the input both. :)

N, I know what you mean about the wild dreams and Atripla. I was on that for around six weeks and felt like I was on a rollercoaster from the minute I closed my eyes at night till the next morning. Sometimes it was nice, other times a pain!

The drug my doctor wants to put me on is called Prezista (darunavir), to replace my Reyataz (atazanavir).

Thanks again both. Was really useful information.

I am on atripla too and also have had crazy dreams.Everything from nightmares to just plain strange!The thing is that they are so real that when that alarm goes off in the morning it takes a while to get back to reality.