HIV Support Group

I am have been on Atripla for almost a year. I too have memory loss. Sometimes I can't even remember people's names I have worked with for years. Don't believe it is the disease... I have had it for a long time, and have only noticed my memory loss over the last year of taking atripla.

Well my partner had a brain infection related to AIDS and is 50 so we are having these issues, he is on truvada and lexiva but he has a better memory than I do a lot of the time......................LOL

Let me explain my memory loss a little more, because after reading my reply a day later, I was afraid I would scare anyone beginning atripla.

The instructions say you should take your medicine right before you go to bed so you can sleep through the effects. I am unable to do that because of my job I have to split my sleep up. I eat dinner around 7 pm., then the instructions say to wait 2 hours after eating to take Atripla. Well, I go to bed around 8 pm because I have to work at 3 am. So, my wife wakes me up around 10:30pm when she comes to bed and gives me my Atripla. Then at 2 a.m. I wake up and get ready for work only usually after 3 1/2 hours after taking Atripla. So, in clarification, most of my memory loss occurs within 9 hours of taking Atripla. I always feel a little foggy within that time span. If I eat food with MSG like Chinese food, somehow it makes me really feel the affects of Atripla...mostly like being stoned. So, I don't eat Chinese on work nights, but sometimes on weekends I'll eat Chinese food and sleep all night with cool vivid dreams. So, I hope I didn't scare anyone off from taking Atripla. It really has improved my health and beyond the 9 hour mark of taking Atripla, the memory loss is usually mild.

I also take the same medications. I am not a doctor but it sounds like your symptoms may be stress related. The reason I say this is I also have experienced memory loss but it is due to Post traumatic stress disorder. It may be a good idea to talk to your doctor about this. Good luck and God bless!

I have been meaning to reply for several days....but I forgot.

Hey Boxer mc2, I also have some memory loss, more noted by my room mate than me! The best solution to this is to make a daily "to do" list and either cross out or transfer to the next day what you need to do. If you do it religiously it really helps. I'm also sure your herbal therapist might know of something.

In a similar situation I have ended up doing the work of several people as my employer does not replace people as they leave due to the economic crisis - and I'm left keeping the place going. I am really stressed out. Fatigue from the meds as well as either clinical depression or just by circumstance is going on. I'm not sure what to do with myself. I seem to be battling and I'm not sure how to help myself. I did get a script for anti-depressants today, but not really sure about them. Curiously my CD4 count has dropped despite an undetectable viral load. That is depressing.

Boxer, it is not you. It is happening to me, and I have only been on the cocktail for 5 months. I have memory issues every other week especially when it relates to bedtime. I have difficulty remembering conversations with people and have to be reminded about it. Then, I get text messages that are marked as read that I have no recollection of reading the night before. It felt like deja vu or a cruel practical joke, because it was so fuzzy for me to remember.

Chook, what antidepressants were you prescribed? Definitely start those when you can. It seems like every antiviral out there will depress you.

What's this forum about again....?

I got some Cipramil today. (That's what it's called in Australia). Apparently it's commonly prescribed due to its lack of interaction with HIV meds.

i too am taking the same thing ur taking and yea i forget alot of things two but now that u mention it i didn't think that it was related to my meds i thought it was cause i'm a dits

I'm not any of the medication you mentioned, but I have noticed that my memory is going as well and I am only 26 years old. I thought it was just me.