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Side-effects of antiretrovirals
2006-02-26 09:12:25
By Matilda Kasanga
Medicines can have undesired effects on your body, even when they have been taken correctly. These are known as side effects of the medicine.
Side-effects are to be expected when one is taking antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) because the body will have to be get used to the medicines.
Most side-effects are felt within the first few weeks of starting ARVs, though some people do not experience any.
It is important to report all symptoms to your health care provider who may supply something to counter the side-effects, reduce the dosage of the medicine or replace the medicine if the side-effects are very serious.
Generally, the side-effects cannot be predicted. Some people only experience mild side-effects and find them easily manageable. But for some people the side-effects are so strong that they have to consider using alternative drugs.
The most common side-effects are nausea and tiredness. Side-effects are often referred to by the grade of the effect and the grades range from mild to moderate to severe to life-threatening.
Life-threatening side-effects, such as extreme limitations in daily activity and hospitalisation, are rare, but are still threats to some.
When drugs are developed, they go through clinical trials. A clinical trial is a study to test how well the new drugs or treatment works and how safe they are. Some long-term side-effects may not be noticed in the clinical trials.
It is hard for the researchers to draw consistent information on side-effects in clinical trials since people have different treatment histories, general health and tolerability levels.
Therefore, some side-effects only become apparent after the drugs have been approved and have been used by more people over a longer period.
Since HIV is a life-threatening disease, there is a constant need for new drugs. Sometimes it is important to get a drug on the market despite its known side-effects.
Many patients and health professionals agree that the anti-HIV drugs are far from perfect and the tolerability of the drugs needs to be vastly improved.
It can be useful to find out about the possible side-effects that particular drugs have before starting treatment.
The side-effects often get better after being on treatment for a little while, as the body starts to adjust to the anti-HIV drugs. Some people use alternative therapies and medications with the combination therapy to ease the side-effects.
For example, some people say taking peppermint eases their feeling of nausea. But sometimes the side-effects do not diminish over time, and, in some instances, one or more of the drugs in the combination can be changed to reduce the side-effects. If you feel that the side-effects are too much to cope with, you should always seek help from your doctor before changing or stopping your regime.
Long term side effects
ARV medicines are fairly new. Therefore, it is difficult to know the side-effects that can occur. However, some people who have taken them for about five years have reported experiencing the following side-effects; chronic anemia (having less blood than normal), liver problems, kidney problems, and lipodystrophy. If experiencing these, experts say it is important to see a doctor,
Risks associated with taking ARVs
Besides the possibility of side-effects, there are a few other risks when taking ARVs. They include drug resistance – this is when the medicine you are taking is no longer working well in the way that it should.
This is made worse by stopping or missing some of your medicines. At this point the doctor may change your medicine combination.
ARVs are very strong medicines that you may be taking for other health problems. It is therefore important to inform your doctor about all the other medicines you may be taking.
However, the benefits of taking the medicines outweigh the known side-effects and risks, so it is to your advantage to take the medicines.
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