| Key to ratings for combivir: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
| | F M | | | | ||||
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| 3 | PEP | None so far, but I'm only two days into it | I had an exposure at work and I'm on my 5th dose. I have yet to experience any side effects except maybe extra sleepiness and was wondering when they were likely to start or if I'm going to be very lucky and have little or no problems. | M | 51 | 2 days | 10/24/2009 | 1 | Exposure to HIV positive female | Tiredness, sleepiness, muscle soreness, stomach discomfort, headache, feeling sick, depression, extreme fatigue and full body muscle soreness after even light activities like walking. | I would strongly discourage anyone from taking this medicine unless adsolutely necessary. I took Combivir for 30 days as a post exposure prophylaxis and felt tired even months after taking the medication. I am normally super athletic and I feel I am no longer that way(it's been 2 years since already). You will need to take time off your job if your job is physically demanding. My blood felt like acid. The doctors and packaging seriously needed to warn patients of the side effects of this expensive drug. Use protection(condom). Just because you had sex with a promiscuous female or male you are unsure of is No reason to take this drug with long term side effects. Unless you Know you are seriously exposed to HIV virus. If so start the drug as soon as possible(best within 24 hours, within 3 days still quite good) . | M | 35 | 30 days | 9/19/2009 | 3 | prevent possible HIV infection | Headaches, extreme nausea, ill feeling (malaise) and extreme fatigue, weakness, moody, cold/nasal symptoms, and slightly rapid/slow/irregular heartbeat which only occurred 30min after taking the medication and lasted for about 2 hours after | I'm gay and took PEP because i hooked up with a guy off Gaydar.com.au, and he came in me. After he wouldn't tell me his specific past history with guys and after he refused to get tested, this was my only option. The side effects aren't nice. I needed 2 weeks off of work and study because of it all. If ur unsure about a guy, just wear a condom seriously, coz it's not worth going through this. Even-though i know it will help, it's best to avoid it. 12 out of 28 days so far, but i might stop them now coz i ended up convincing the guy to get a test and tell me his history from the last 3 months and i wasn't as risky as i thought. | M | 24 | 12 days | 7/29/2009 | 1 | PEP | Stomach Pains, Indegestion, Insomnia, Rash and Generalised Swelling | 5 months after taking this medicine for PEP, I am still suffering from the side effects that made me stop after 11 days. It appears to have altered my body chemistry. My advice to anyone thinking about taking this for PEP - think very carefully. Probably the worst decision I have ever made with regard to my health. | M | 36 | 11 days | 7/8/2009 | 3 | Post Exposure Prophylaxis | nausea, strange feeling in my stomach, extreme tiredness, dizziness, confusion, inability to concentrate on task at hand, funny taste in mouth, mild diarrhea, sweating, increased thirst, mild sore throat, tingling in hands and feet. | Taking this medicine feels like I'm poisoning myself twice a day. I keep thinking how horrible it would have to be take ARVs not just for one month but for the rest of my life. Serious stuff but I pray that it works after a known exposure to HIV. 3 more weeks to go. | F | 26 | 8 days | 1/22/2009 | 4 | Prophylaxis | Diarrhoea, dizziness, uneasiness in the stomach. Slight chills/fever that goes as quickly as it comes. Muscle fatigue. | Four weeks of pain and a life of peace. I am taking Combivir along with Viracept to eliminate a very very small chance of exposure. Here is how I did the math. Probability of other person having HIV: 0.01 (i.e., 1%) Probability of transmission: 0.001 (or 0.1%, there was no ejaculation and there were literally two unprotected penetrations) Net probability without Combivir/Viracep: 0.00001 or 0.0001% With Combivir/Viracept: 0% I will take the pain for now. Diarrhoea is the most serious side effect I am experiencing. I am using lots of Pepto Bismol along with yogurt and smoothies. Rest of diet is unchanged. | M | 32 | 5 days | 8/4/2008 | 4 | Post needle stick | Nausea, I take Gravol with each dose, bad taste in mouth, aversion to previously enjoyed foods, diarrhea, weight gain, my abdomen is noticeable larger which is strange because even when I have gained weight I never gain in the abdominal area, loss of concentration I can go off into my own little world for minutes at a time, very very tired, sleeping a lot. 11 days left!!! | F | 30 | 19 days | 7/17/2008 | 2 | Preventative from being exposed | I feel sick; nausea, watery mouth, stomach pains just below the ribs in the middle ~ made me cry, loss of appetite for typical foods, but gain of appetite for other foods in small amounts, headaches, feverish, diarrhea, not sleeping well, strange dreams ~ woke up crying; sore, fatigued, heart raceing and strong pulse, feel jittery/shakey; just not feeling great :( | I have to take this for 30 days, 18 days to go... I just feel awful. I am not a person who gets sick or feels sick often, so this is just kicking my booty. I have seen the doctor twice so far, in 12 days. I had my first blood draw the day of the incident and my second is 15 days later. So we will see if this is working. Hopefully I wasn't exposed to anything at all. | F | 29 | 12 days | 6/16/2008 | 3 | prophylactic | weekness, disiness,blury vision, stomach pains, nausea non stop, bad taste in my mouth that only made me even more sick, gas gas gas, | I have been sick ever since I first started taking it. I have to brush my teeth 6 x's a day cuz the nasty taste in my mouth. This medication is no joke n I have 3 more weeks to go. But i know it will help in the long run | F | 21 | 7 days | 5/23/2007 | 5 | HIV Infection | Nausea for about an hour after taking it - helps to eat a little something with it. Dizziness for about the first week. | Wow - it works. Viral load went to undetectible about 30 days, and CD4 count went from 78 to 350 in about 9 months. (Also taking Sustiva) | M | 38 | 1 years | 5/18/2007 | 2 | preventative | increase in abdominal pain and nausau, i had anxiety before, specifically panic attacks however soon after getting on this medication i was having the fear of losing control and feeling depersonalized/dissociated (fearing the most basic funtions like breathing, talking, eating, sleeping) daily not just 10 minutes or so for a normal panic attack. this feeling went away after i stopped taking the med but only for a short while as i am now still feeling just as fearful and panicky if not worse. not sure if it is the medication as i am not taking it anymore or possibly it may have changed a chemistry for the worse or it could be just enough to have put me over the edge in my anxiety disorder. not sure. | be careful and journal daily as to what things happen to you, your thoughts, dreams, appetite, weight gain etc. as this is a very potent medication and you need to be aware of even the slightest changes. | F | 26 | 30 days | 7/8/2006 | 1 | prophylactic | nausea, dizziness, seizures, anxiety, confusion, bloating, loss of appetite, acid, rotten taste in the mouth, shooting abdominal pains, inability to breath/speak full sentences/cough/perform a range of respiratory functions, fatigue, weight gain, joint pain | I ended up with a visit to the Emergency Room due to the effects of combivir. This medication is totally scary, although I've talked with a number of people who did not experience the extreme effects I experienced. Please be careful and take care of that liver. combivir can wreck you. | F | 24 | 21 days | 7/19/2005 | 3 | increase TCell count | extreme nausea, headaches, tiredness, muscle pain and spasms, dry eyes, dizziness, moodiness. | nausea persists but not as bad as first two weeks. Phenigrin helps. I have yet to get new bloodtests so unsure if it's working. | F | 37 | 3.5 weeks | 4/12/2005 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |