A View from Copenhagen

I started out on Stribild back in 2013. Switched to Genvoya in 2015, and then to Triumeq in 2017. This is my story.

[cody1978]

So its been what? 9 years?

Thought I’d go ahead and update the blog, its been quite awhile and there are a few things worth mentioning. I split up with my gf after about 4.5 years. It was a tough break, but we had it coming. Looking back, sure I fell in love with her, but she was also the first person to accept me on a deeper level. In other words she was mu first relationship after I got HIV, and so that fact that she accepted me for who I was and what I had, was very important to me. This importance seemed to fade as I came to terms with having HIV, to the point where it carried little to no weight. We weren’t good for each other, that was the bottom line. Not needing her acceptance or anyone else’s for that matter made it all a bit easier. Now one year after the break, after having dated a few girls, I have met this special one, that might develop into something more serious. And im back at the whole “when to tell” dilemma. But its like its much less of an issue now. It feels like I have accepted HIV as an integral part of me, sort of like the color of my air. And so if she can’t accept the color of my hair, well who cares really. Thats how I feel. Its not a big deal. Im sure ill feel more when the time comes, but lets see. Also worth mentioning is that, at the time of writing only 5% of the Danish population has been vaccinated for Covid-19, and so it seems they have chosen people with HIV among the 10% most important/vulnerable. Thats interesting. Maybe we simply fall into the “cronic condition” populace. Anyway, I think I will make an effort and get the vaccine, hoping to get one of the RNA ones. HIV is no issue for me anymore. I hardly ever think about it. Sure meeting a new girl makes me consider it again, but not as wildly as the first time. So there. Life is full of challenges. HIV is not one of the biggest ones at all. Cya Cody

[cody1978]

Hi Cody, I read your story and all that you say on Atripla unchaining your inner demons it's true! My doc wants me to go on Stribild and I think I will. What's your experience on this drug? Are you on it? gerolamoviola @ aol. com

I was very happy on stribild, apart from the first few days. I’d go for Genvoya og Triomeq today.

[cody1978]

8 years down the road :)

I just realized that it its been 8 years since I got HIV. The first 2 I avoided the pills, to see how I would feel, and to prolong the “you are now on life long meds” situation. If I could do that over, I’d take the pills right away. If you just got HIV, get the pills ASAP, much less reservoir build up, and no risk of contagion. I have gone through all the levels of pain that comes with having HIV. Once I could’t have sex without thinking about me having HIV, today I can’t remember the last time I thought about it during sex. Can you image that? I could’t. Find someone who has hiv and talk to them. It helps remove the false idea of you being this lonely freak. In the beginning also having sex with someone who also has hiv is a huge relief. Be proactive in the community, write blogs. end the stupid stigma. For me today personally HIV is a nonissue. I never really think about it. The pill i take in the morning is like a vitamin pill. I feel good taking it.

I don’t think my friends remember it anymore. They could’t care less. Ive gone from Stribild -> Genvoya -> Triomeq. All good drugs. Take care out there! /Cody

[cody1978]

First 10 days on Triumeq

Its already been 10 days, and i am already at the stage where I am wondering if I took the pill in the morning or not.

That said, the first 3 days I was all over the floor rambling. I’m sure I had some reaction to what was going on in my body, but I’m aslo pretty sure most of that came from the mere fact that I had to change meds, from something that worked perfectly fine. (Genvoya) Now here on day 10 I’m irritated, pissed off and super aggressive. I have no clear idea why. My girlfriend pisses me off no end. Was happy all day, but the moment I walk in at home, I feel super depressed, and depraved of happiness. Its like all the effort I put in, is just ignored or brushed aside. Probably has nothing to do with Triumeq, and all to do with my relationship with that woman. But I’m here to report how I feel, and thats what I’m doing. Everything pisses me off at the moment, so I’ll stop writing.

[cody1978]

First 5 days on Triumeq

Like yesterday today has been good. Haven’t felt anything out of the ordinary apart from being very fatigued. Perhaps because of new job also.

I am however slightly moody, not being the best partner at the moment. I get angry fits, and feel like my girlfriend is not there for me.

I truly believe it’s 90% me feeling self pity, and overreacting to whatever effect the pill has on me. 10% worry that it’s actually the pill screwing things up.

Maybe I’m just exhausted.

I do sincerely need a good nights sleep.

[cody1978]

First 78 hours on Triumeq

Strangely I have felt nothing today. Just as I thought and felt like everything would come crashing, nothing has happened today.

No sideeffects apart from being sleepy. I did wake up many times during the night. I’m not sure why. Tonight going into the 4th day will tell me more whether it’s me or the pill playing tricks.

It’s a mind game, and I’m winning it today.

Much better outlook than yesterday.

Fingers crossed!

[cody1978]

First 48 hours on Triumeq

I’m not sure whether its the medication or my mind. But I’m not feeling well. Last night I couldn’t sleep, and I had a slight anxiety attack. The feeling of being dazed and unable to get out of it. Somewhat like being stoned, and panicking over the feeling of not being able to get out of the “trip”. The same this morning after taking the pill. For at least 3 hours I’ve been dazed and confused. So much so that I told my new boss, that the reason for me not getting everything he said, was because I had hiv and I just started out on a new regimen. Maybe not the best way to go about it, but I felt like telling him. Maybe because I needed someone to understand, or to care? At least it was a good honest excuse. Oh and the truth, not to mention.. So where does this leave me? It leaves me wondering about the fact, that our doctors and nurses, don’t really conetemplate the mental aspect of starting out on a life long drug or switching to a new one. The whole hell of painful remembrance of getting and dealing with hiv, COMES RIGHT BACK AT YOU. Everything was fine on Genvoya, it was rutine, it didnt matter, it didnt have any place in my life at all. Now when I have to change, everything comes back. I AM sick. I DO take very strong pills. I DO have HIV, its NO JOKE. I just talked to my nurse. She told me to hold on, and to give it a few more days, and then we’ll talk. In the end, I’m pretty sure its just me tripping. Overemotional. Oversensible. I hate to be that guy. That difficult patient. I will try and suck it up. I’ve overcome FAR worse things than starting out on a silly little pill.

[cody1978]

Thank you for sharing. I am on the same medication too. Please post more. Whenever you are available. Farrah hafeez.

[cody1978]

Your words comfort me. Thank you.

Thank you.

[cody1978]

First 24 hours on Triumeq

Hardly anything to notice apart from a slight hangover feeling, without the headache. Felt alittle woozy.

Didn’t sleep too well. Hard to tell if it had anything to do with Triumeq, or just my mind trying to quiet the thoughts.

Day after some heartburn/acid around solar plexus. Which I had for some time on Stribild too.

Apart from the pill being bigger than Genvoya, I’m happy to report that, so far!, there has been litttle to no sideeffects.

It’s like taking antibiotics. You know something is going on, but very hard to put a finger on.

Crossing my fingers for no liver reactions. That usually happens within 3 days. (I got rash from stribild after 3 days, that subsided).

Good good.

[cody1978]

I made the switch! Genvoya to Triumeq.

A Month ago I was told that because of pricing, we would all be switched to Triumeq.

Now I don’t mind switching to a better pill, at all. But being forced to switch because the government is being posh and poor? Not so much.

That’s me just thinking about myself though. I get these pills for free, and I should be grateful. And I am.

That doesn’t remove any of the anxiety or fear that goes with switching to a new pill.

Reviews give a slight nod to Triumeq because of its low interaction with other drugs. Since I rarely take any other drugs, I don’t care much for this.

I was perfectly fine on Genvoya, and I find it stupid to switch me, even needlessly dangerous.

But alas, that is how things are. And I will probably be fine with Triumeq. It’s a good pill. And if it is wasn’t for the massive warning of almost instant death of some trial participants, I’m sure I’d be alright.

Supposedly some, very few, get a hyper sensitivity reaction that is very dangerous and could be fatal. That’s if you disregard the reaction I guess and continue with the pill.

Also they will screen you for some gene “defect” you could call it. If you don’t have that gene, there is less risk. Cool. Alright, let’s play with fire!

There are only small reviews out there on Triumeq, much less about switching from Genvoya. So I’ll try and give it a better and longer review in the coming days.

The pill is bigger than Genvoya, making it harder to swallow. There is more active powder in it I guess.

I’m 20 minutes into Triumeq, and no reactions yet. I will write follow up posts every day for the next week to keep you guys updated.

Hopefully I’ll be as happy with this pill as I was for Genvoya.

[cody1978]

Hello, This is my day 2 on stribild ... I read over and over all your posts and this help me a lot ! Thank you for all this sharing !

Glad it helps 😊 Good luck

[cody1978]

Day 1175: Normalcy

I remember when I first started out on Stribild, I was desperate to hear from people who was already on it, and more so, people who had been on it for a long time. Since the regimen at the time was so new, no such info was available, so I just had to make the jump. A few blogs here helped me though. The words and experience of aaronlaxton helped me a lot, and made me decide to do a similar blog. This is my chance to pay that back. Life is good. It is as normal as I could have ever dreamed it to be. When I first got HIV I felt I would be forever doomed, and probably crash with a massive depression or worse. No such thing happened. Sure it was tough, especially the first 4 months or so. Today I cant believe I waited almost 2 years to start on medication. If I was to make that decision today I would start out immediately, But back then Atripla was the only one-pill treatment, and I didnt want that. Today there are more pills on the market. I would not be afraid to recommend Genvoya to anyone. Start as soon as you can. No reason to walk around with that crazy virus in your system for more than is absolutely necessary. I still take the pill in the morning, with that Pillboxie app reminding me, at 10am. So If I forgot it at breakfast, the notice will help me remember. A few times I havent had Genvoya available, and only an old glass of Stribild, so I just took the Stribild pill. Doctor says its no problem. You can switch between them without risking resistance.

So there, If I knew what I know now about how I would feel at this point in time, must distress and worry would have been put to rest. Let me tell you this. If you have just gotten HIV or are just starting out on a new regiment, don’t worry, life will be awesome again, and pretty soon too. I have had no side effects for years. The only thing I had was in the first 4 months. Half of that can probably be ascribed to the fact that I felt very uneasy about hiv/drugs. On day 3 I had a rash, that disappeared after a good nights sleep. I felt alittle lightheaded the first few days, but after that it was only the vivid dreaming that worried me. That vanished completely after about 3-4 months. Maybe earlier. What you are left with is the Stigma and the trouble of telling a partner that you have HIV. Those things are not easy. In regards to a partner, its better to tell it sooner rather than later. You risk that the break of trust for not telling, will be worse than the fact that you have HIV. The risk of transmission of HIV while on a good regiment today is zero. You are not putting anyone at risk of anything, as long as you take your pill, and your virusload is otherwise undetectable. I know that, you know that and your doctor knows it. The science is there to back it up. So don’t worry. Any good doctor will tell your partner that there is no risk at all. Still, it is something you want to let your significant other know pretty early on. I still havent told the world. Cos in the end, who cares anyway. I for one don’t. If I feel like saying it to someones face, I do. Other than that I keep it to myself. I don’t tell people what vitamins I take everyday. I couldnt care less for them to know. Its the same with Genvoya for me. Nobody really cares anymore. At least not in this part of the world. I remember getting angry at my doctor for acting like he couldn’t care less if I had HIV or not. I couldn’t believe he could take it so lightly. But then, time passed, and I realized he was right. It was not a big deal. Almost boring and tiresome for him, no excitement, nothing ever really happened with his patients. Which was a good thing, as he said: You don’t want for it to be exciting. In the end HIV is not a big deal. Trust me, its not. At least it won’t be for you either, pretty soon :) Good luck out there. Relax, be nice and dare to love. /cody

[cody1978]

Hello Cody did you say you had sleeping problems on Stribilb? How long till it happened if you don't mind me asking? Was it right away? The reason I ask is because I've been on Stribilb now for three months. I literally wake up 3 times a night, 4am, 6am, 7am. I take my Stribilb with food at 9:00pm. I will try taking it in the AM now and see if that does the trick.

Hi, yea I had some issues in the first few months. I would also wake up with very vivid dreams. That was even when I took them in the morning which I have always done. After I'd say 4 months or so, it wore off. Today there is nothing. It wasn't a big issue. But noticeable in the beginning.

[cody1978]

Hi , I am on Stribild for a year. Your blog has been really helpful to understand what was coming along with treatment. I will be switching to genvoya soon, but i am concerned about new side effects people report after switching from stribild. How was your switch?

No sideeffects at all. The pill is smaller and easier to take, also it should have less long term sideeffects. You should be fine

[cody1978]

Day 980: Changing to Genvoya!

Gilead has released a new and better pill to switch places with Stribild, and it is Genvoya. The changes are minimal but welcome. Instead of 200mg Tenofovir in Stribild, that has the longterm side effects of reducing your Bonemass and increase risk of Kidney failure, it now has only 10mg Tenofovir or TAF. Its somehow a new version of Tenofovir, that only effects HIV related cells and not all the other cells in the body. If you change from Strbild its not realy a change of regimen, and shouldn’t cause any issues. As soon as my Stribld stash runs out, I will be starting on this new and better treatment.

[cody1978]

Gilead has released a new treatment to better Stribild; Genvoya. Genvoya seems a bit smaller, and has a new bright color. The “only” other change is that instead of 200mg Tenofovir (Stribild) it now has only 10mg of Tenofovir/TAF (Genvoya). This should reduce the risk of decreased bonemass and kidney failure.