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Posts Tagged ‘AIDS’

HIV regimens can be complicated. Most regimens require taking number of pills each day. Some medications are taken on an empty stomach while others are to be taken with meals. HIV infected people who are sick, who are experiencing HIV symptoms or the negative side effects of their medications. A quality patient-provider relationship can also be identified as an important source of adhering to HIV medications. Understanding the predicament of the majority of HIV positive persons, conceived a breakthrough in HIV treatment administration. Surely, there are ways anyone can do to better adhere to ones HIV medications but Vonavir/Atripla took all the burden away.

Atripala is the first multi-class

antiretroviral drug available in the United States and marked the first collaboration of two US pharmaceutical companies to combine their patented anti-HIV drugs into one product. It was approved by the Food and Drugs Administration on July 12, 2006. Atripla is the result of unprecedented effort between Gilead Sciences the manufacturer of Emtriva and Viread, with Bristol-Myers Squibb the maker of Sustiva.This wonderful innovation of a pill combines the active ingredients of Sustiva (efavirenz) a Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NNRTI) with Emtriva (emtricitabine) and Veriad (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), two Nucleoside Reverse transcriptase Inhibitor (NRTI). Dosing of Atripla is suitable to be taken at bedtime to improve tolerability of the nervous system and it is not recommended for HIV patients under 18 years old.

Common side effects of Atripla are tiredness, dizziness, stomach and intestinal upset and skin discoloration. More severe side effects are hallucination and sleeplessness. According to the official website of Atripla, medications that should not be taken with Atripla are: Hizmanal (astimizole), Vascor (bepridel), Propulsid (cisapride), Versed (midazolam), Orap (pimozide), Halcion (triazolam), or ergot derivatives. Discuss any other HIV or hepatitis medication you are taking  with your doctor to avoid complication. Atripla can significantly simplify HIV drug regimen by easing the pill burden, helping to increase adherence and thus reducing potential development of viral resistance to the drugs. This may result in longer term effectiveness of the drug regimen. Learn more, hiv aids treatments

Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a lentivirus a part of the retrovirus family. Lentivirus derived from the Latin word “Lenti” meaning slow. Retroviridae family of viruses is characterized by a long incubation period. Lentiviruses can deliver a significant amount of genetic information into the DNA of the host cell, they are considered as one of the most effecient methods of a gene delivery vector. It relies on reverse transcriptase to perform reverse transcription of its genome from RNA to DNA for insertion by intergrase into host genome. The virus itself is just a storage form for its DNA; the reverse transcription takes place in the host’s cytosol. Inside our cell is a large fluid space called cytoplasm also known as cytosol.

Current treatment for HIV infected individuals consist of highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART. It has been considered beneficial since its introduction. Other HAART cocktail consist of at least three drugs belonging to at least two types of antiretroviral agents.As HIV reproduces itself, variants of the virus emerge, including some that are resistant to antiretroviral drugs. This finding pusheddoctors to recommend the use of combined antiretroviral drugs also known as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy. This approach in containing the damage brought by the HIV virus to the HIV positive person has been proven to have effectively suppressed the virus when used properly.

These HAART treatments have proven to reduce th amount of active virus and in some cases lower the number of active virus until it is undetectable by current blood testing techniques.

Learn more, symptoms of HIV

It has revolutionized how people with HIV infections are treated. HAART works by suppressing the virus and decreasing the rate of opportunistic infections. The aim of HAART is to keep the amount of HIV at low level. This stops any weakening in the immune system and allows it to recover from any damage that the virus might have caused already. Taking HAARTmay cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea and vommitting. In addition, it may cause more serious medical problems including metabolic changes and bone loss. These complex reaction to the treatment varies as each individual is unique. Hence, it is highly recommended to talk to your doctor before deciding when to start doing the necessary treatment. Thus,it is important to take into account both the benefits and and potential risks of any currently available regimens before starting a HIV/AIDS therapy.

Despite the recession, the state  reply to HIV – including the commitment of sufficient resources to accomplish wide access to HIV prevention and treatment, fully fund AIDS research and strengthen underlying health systems – cannot be compromise while waiting for the economy to spark.  Given the economic woes across the US, budget cuts is not surprising. However, this fact doesn’t lessen the sting of the $85 million budget cuts aimed at AIDS programs across California. Hardest hit in the cuts are HIV education and prevention programs, testing and counseling services, home services and early intervention services. The Governor has acknowledged the difficult decision to cut AIDS programs. But his insensitive act is not only deadly, but guaranteed to cost California taxpayers millions more in the future. With HIV testing programs sidelined and the state’s capacity to stop new infections obstructed, new infections in California will increase—each new infection can mean up to 0,000 dollars in lifetime health care costs. A 100% cut to the Therapeutic Monitoring Program is the definition of penny-wise with the ability to monitor the effectiveness of lifesaving HIV treatment baffled, the state’s already cash-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Program will only end up spending more for drugs.

California’s most vulnerable population has its services on the chopping block again in the latest round of proposed state budget cuts. Deprived families dependent on welfare and Medi-Cal, children of low-income families, and individuals suffering from HIV or AIDS were all part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May budget revise reductions. The proposal also includes to stop all general fund contributions to up to 220 state parks, which could include the La Purisima Mission and parks along the Gaviota Coast. The governor’s proposed elimination of the CalWorks program is expected to affect 3,500 families in Sta. Barbra County as reported by Kathy Gallagher, the director of the County Social Services Department. The CalWORKs program provides temporary financial help and employment focused services to families with minor children who have income and property below State maximum limits for their family size. Most able-bodied aided parents are also required to join in the CalWORKs GAIN employment services program. Abiding to the proposed budget cuts would make California the only state and the first world country of civilized nations in the world to not have a catch program for the poor families.  Abating the welfare program, which gives cash aid and services to eligible impoverish California families, would placing the load directly on the county, making such idea totally wild.

The governor’s revised budget could mean .8 million in cuts to Riverside County to public health care programs for low-income Californians living with HIV/AIDS. With a single stroke of his blue pencil, Governor Schwarzenegger has eliminated the state´s AIDS programs and, along with it, the lives of some of the state’s most helpless citizens. Governor Schwarzenegger’s one-sided decision to essentially dismantle the state’s lifesaving HIV/AIDS programs will cost lives, endanger the public’s health and constitutes negligence.  The state´s ability to identify people living with AIDS HIV is now severely paralyzed—creating an gigantic obstacle to the prevention of new infections and linking those who need it to treatment. Not only will the Governor´s callous funding cuts ravage those living with HIV/AIDS who rely on the services the state provides to stay alive and healthy, but today’s cuts also pose a serious threat to our shared responsibility to combat the spread of HIV in California.

Immune therapies are treatments which influence or modify certain components of the immune system. besides drugs a number of therapies are being looked into for use by people with HIV by boosting the body’s immunity.

How AIDS Medications are combined and the order in which they are given are important factors to consider when designing treatment strategies for patients new to antiretroviral therapy, says a new study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health. When HIV-infected individuals begin treatment with a combination of the drugs zidovudine, better known as AZT, lamivudine and efavirenz, the drugs retain their effectiveness for a longer period of time than when individuals begin treatment with one of several other three-drug regimens. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) employs combinations of anti-HIV drugs to help suppress the virus in people with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of HAARt is combined various HIV medications to supress HIV in a multitude of ways. Two classes that help prevent the virus from copying, called RT reverse transcriptase inhibitors RT, PI’s stop the virus from being infectious. RT inhibitors can be further broken down into nucleoside RT inhibitors, which halt HIV replication by making faulty DNA building blocks, and non-nucleoside inhibitors, which bind to the enzyme reverse transcriptase to prevent the virus from copying itself. The effectiveness of different drug combinations may diminish over time, however, and physicians often must implement new ones over the course of a person’s treatment. Combination AIDS HIV regimens are our currently most effective method in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Using this regimens we have been able to prolong lives, improve quality of life and even slow the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

The availability of HAART since 1996 has had a dramatic effect on the face of HIV/AIDS. HAART is a customized combination of different classes of medications that a physician prescribes based on such factors as the patient’s viral load, CD4⁺ lymphocyte count, and clinical symptoms. CD4⁺ lymphocytes are white blood cells that HIV infects and kills, leading to a weakened immune system and AIDS. Though not a cure, HAART controls viral load, helping to delay the onset of symptoms and achieve prolonged survival in people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

HAART has helped to reduce the health implications of HIV. Diagnoses of HIV OI’s and other complications have decreased sigificantly since its introduction. Other neurological problems associated with long term use of this therapy include nerve damage. HAART is reported to have an effect to increase lipid (fat) levels in the blood, changed glucose metabolism and other complications.

Interactions with HAART and other medications used in the treatment of addiction may hurt both treatments. For example, methadone blood concentration drops as a result of the components in HAART therapy. Research is under way to determine if buprenorphine, a newer medication for the treatment of opioid addictions, has similar liabilities.

One issue for people treated with HAART is sticking to the medication regimen which is needed to benefit from HAART. Adherence to HIV regimens can be hard for drug users with chaotic lifestyles, which can prevent them from following prescribe regimens. In addition, because HAART reduces viral load, some patients mistakenly believe that they do not need to adhere to the HIV/AIDS treatment regimen or that reduced viral load means elimination of the risk of transmitting HIV. This sometimes will lead to a complacency, where risky behaviors are resumed. Research has improved HIV/AIDS outcomes amoung IDU and has advanced discoveries for long term treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Despite substantial advances in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virusHIV AIDS infection, the estimated number of annual new HIV infections in the United States has remained at 40,000 for over 10 years. HIV prevention in this country has largely focused on persons who are not HIV infected, to help them avoid becoming infected. However, further reduction of HIV transmission will require new strategies, including increased emphasis on preventing transmission by HIV-infected persons. HIV-infected persons who are aware of their HIV infection tend to reduce behaviors that might transmit HIV to others. Nonetheless, recent reports suggest that such behavioral changes often are not maintained and that a substantial number of HIV-infected persons continue to engage in behaviors that place others at risk for HIV infection.

Reverting to risky behavior can be as important in the transmission of HIV as the orignal failure to adopt safer sex practices. Unprotected anal sex appears to be occurring more frequently in some urban centers, particularly among young men who have sex with men (MSM). Viral and bacterial STDs in HIV infected patients receiving care has been noticed more frequently, indicating ongoing risky behaviors. Further, despite declining syphilis prevalence in the general U.S. population, sustained outbreaks of syphilis among MSM, many of whom are HIV infected, continue to occur in some areas; rates of gonorrhea and chlamydial infection have also risen for this population. Increased STD rates amoung MSM show increased potential for HIV transmission, both these rates suggest ongoing risky sexual behavior, and because STDs increases HIV’s infectivity and susceptibility. Studies suggest that optimism about the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV may be contributing to relaxed attitudes toward safer sex practices and increased sexual risk-taking by some HIV-infected persons.

Injection drug use also continues to play a key role in the HIV epidemic; at least 28% of AIDS cases among adults and adolescents with known HIV risk category reported to CDC in 2000 were associated with injection drug use. In some large drug-using communities, HIV seroincidence and seroprevalence among injection drug users (IDUs) have declined in recent years. The decline has been a result of several things, including a increased use of sterile needles, lower rates of needle sharing, shifts from injection to noninjection methods of using drugs, and the cessation of drug use. Injection drug use amoung heroin users has helped to increase HIV infection substantially in some areas, serving as a reminder that avoiding all high risk behavior is important.

Doctors and Clinicians caring for HIV-infected persons can help play a key role in help their patients reduce their risk factors. Caregivers can make a big difference to affect patients’ risk factors for transmission of HIV to other people by performing brief tests for HIV transmission risk factors; communicating safe practices; talking about sexual and drug use behavior and positively reinfocing changes to safer behavior. These measures may also decrease patients’ risks of acquiring other STDs and bloodborne infections (e.g., hepatitis). Managed care plans can play an important role in HIV prevention by incorporating these recommendations into their practice guidelines, educating their providers and enrollees, and providing condoms and educational materials. In the context of care, prevention services might be delivered in clinic or office environments or through referral to community-based programs. Some clinicians have expressed concern that reimbursement is often not provided for prevention services and note that improving reimbursement for such services might enhance the adoption and implementation of these guidelines.

The origin of HIV/AIDS has cme into the media spotlight as we learn of its existence in the human population much early then was orignally thought. This new information came to us by way of DNA analysis of the current HIV virus. Scientists now guess that HIV jump to human populations from monkeys in the early 1900’s. This has gone a long way to finally putting to rest conspiracy theorists who believed that HIV had been transmitted to humans during polio vaccination trials. HIV was transmitted to the human population from monkeys when people who hunted them came in contact with blood from infected animals while butchering them. A number of viruses humans have today have gotten into our population in similar ways including bird flu.

HIV 1 is the more virulent and common of the HIV strains. HIV 1 is the strain that infects most the world and qualifies HIV as a pandemic. HIV II is the less common strain of HIV that is less virulent. HIV 2 is mostly confined to West Africa, and not as prevalent. Both HIV 1 and HIV 2 are transmitted by bodily fluids. This means that prevention of HIV/AIDS will reley on safe and non risky practice. Including using condoms as well as other safe sex practices. AIDS occurs when AIDS/HIV has progressed to the point as to promote opportunistic infections and other AIDS defining illnesses.

As treatments become more available the battle against HIV becomes more viable. Prevention needs to be a central pillar in combating HIV AIDS, as well as aggressive treatment. HAART regimens (combinations of AIDS drugs) are the primary weapon we have and it has been very effective in slowing the progression of HIV. These breakthroughs have been enabling patients to live a longer and healthier life. Another essential element in winning the battle against HIV is education, we need more broad base HIV education. Misinformation and lack of understanding has been a huge contributer to the spread of HIV.

Efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir are approved individually by the FDA for the treatment of HIV infection in adults. In addition Efavirenz and Emtricitabine are approved for use in children who are infected with HIV.  These three medicines are frequently prescribed together, the manufacturers have combined them into one tablet. Atripla (Tenovir/Emtricitabine/Efavirenz) came onto the market in July of 2006 as a FDA approved treatment for HIV. Atripla may be used as a complete regimen or in combination with other anti retroviral.

As a result Atripla has become a leading medication in the fight against HIV/AIDS and has helped people living with HIV a great deal. This helps to make dealing with HIV simplier and the drug regimens more effective because it reduces forgotten doses. This reduces the number of drug resistant mutations that can occur.

Atripla (Viraday) does not cure or prevent HIV infection or HIV and does not reduce the risk of passing the virus to other people. Atripla can causes a number of unwanted side effects. More serious side effects of Efavirenz are confusion, depression, abnormal thinking, hallucinations, memory loss, thoughts of suicide, and paranoid thinking. Some people can develop a bad rash. The NRTIs in Atripla can cause a sometimes fatal lactic acidosis and liver disease as well as blood problems or muscle weakness. You should tell your doctor if while taking Atripla you suffer from pain in your joints, muscles, stomach and weakness, trouble with breathing, nausea, a feeling of cold, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, jaundice, dark urine and loss of appetite. Patients should notify their doctor if they have any of the side effects listed. Side effects that are not as severe can lessen or disappear with continued use. Patients should notify their doctor if side effects continue or worsen. If you have hepatitis B you should pay attention if you stop taking Atripla because this may cause a adverse reaction.