Re: Protein in the urine

[Guest guest]

Have you and your doctors considered replacing the Truvada with Epzicom, or perhaps a no or low-nuke regimen? As you probably know, the tenofovir in your Truvada may be worsening your kidney function. I have some kidney disfunction from CMV treatments years ago, and at my nephrologist's suggestion, my primary HIV doctor came up with a low nuke regimen. I currently take Isentress, Viramune and Epivir, although until recently I took Reyataz instead of the Isentress. My doctor and I decided to change the Reyataz for Isentress after I read a report of worsening kidney function in patients on Reyataz. I have not had protein in my urine since I dropped the tenofovir. We also manage my blood pressure aggressively, as uncontrolled high blood pressure can further worsen kidney function. If

the Sustiva is working well for you with no side effects, then you could consider dropping Truvada and taking Isentress, a protease inhibitor, or an entry inhibitor, as well as Epivir or Emtriva, the other ingredient in Truvada other than tenofovir. Epivir and Emtriva seem to be useful in forcing the virus to mutate in ways that make it less potent.The only reason most of us still take two nukes and one drug from another class is historical; nukes were the first drugs to be approved, and researchers tested other drug classes by combining them with the nukes they were familiar with. There has been very little research in nuke-sparing regimens, but you and your doctor can be pioneers in trying a combination that will be easier on your kidneys than one containing tenofovir.With the current generation of HIV medications, it is unlikely that many of us will die from HIV disease directly, or from OIs resulting from poor immune function.

Instead, we are aging faster than we should because of inflammation caused by HIV hiding in cells where our ARV drugs can't reach, and from damage caused by uncontrolled HIV replication in the years before effective treatments. We all need to be aware of which of our organ systems is our personnal Achilles heel, and take special care to preserve it. In your case and mine, it is the kidneys.

Proteine in the urine

Posted by: "antonio massa di galugnano"

massadigalugnano@...

massadigalugnano

Wed Aug 25, 2010 12:21 pm (PDT)

My proteine in the urine is starting getting high again, although the creatinine in the blood is stable. I have recently changed HIV medications with a less stressful protocol: Sustiva every day and Truvada every other day. Against all odds, instead of getting benefit from this new medication regiment, which give less stress on my kidney, I

am seeing different effects, even my Doctors are perplexed. Is there anything that we, as patients, can do to make sure the proteine in urine

goes back within the limits?.

Also my Doc is trying to convince me to have a byopsy of the kidney. Is there a benefit to have my kidney anylized when I know that my kidney has been injured and cannot return to be normal even if I became healthy

with no more HIV virus?

Any advise?