Guest guest Posted June 10, 2006 Report Share Posted June 10, 2006 "My question is : does it (IL-2) do this to everyone, or simply to a certain percentage of IL-2 recipients ?"Il-2 raises T cells. There have been exactly no studies demonstrating the improvements you describe. Barrowpozbod@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 , You're too young to be tired all the time - those of us over 50 would consider you a youngster, not "middle aged". You mention the various HIV regimens that you've been on and that your fatigue started about a year ago. Was there any correlation between your latest regimen of Truvada, Reyataz and Norvir and the onset of your present fatigue symptoms? Were you feeling fairly normal before you started including Norvir? I assume you're taking low dose Norvir as part of a boosted regimen. My own past experience with Norvir was full strength, and it definitely can cause fatigue for a large part of the day. Those who have used the lower dose as a boost can probably comment on the degree to which the lower dose can cause fatigue. Of course, other HIV drugs can also cause fatigue, and everybody reacts somewhat differently. My own experience is that there is at least a part of the day when I can feel the drug burden lifting, usually as I approach time for the next dose. Does that happen to you at all? If you don't see any overlap between onset of chronic fatigue and your current meds, then something else must have changed. Depression can cause fatigue, but for some that's a chicken/egg issue - being fatigued and not feeling well can cause depression, so personally unless I really thought I had underlying depression, I would resist if my doctor wanted to use depression as a first line diagnosis. From your statements you don't sound like you think that you're depressed. Those who have taken the Beck Depression Inventory know that several of the questions relate to physical symptoms - but it doesn't seem to consider the possibility of underlying physical causes, which are many. Having eliminated meds and mental issues, you and your doctor should be looking for possible physical causes. I would not be happy being told that I must "live with it", and I think you're absolutely right to consider that unacceptable, especially since your doctor apparently hasn't diagnosed any specific cause. I assume your standard lab values are all well within the normal range. You said your testosterone was normal, but "low normal". Unfortunately, "normal" means little when it comes to testosterone, because the normal range is so large. If your testosterone baseline was at the high end when you were in your twenties (which you probably never had measured) and now in your 40s you're at the low end of the normal range, then your present low normal value is not normal for you, and you may need to try androgen replacement. Do a Google search for "ADAM questionaire testosterone" and take the quiz. More importantly, does your doctor measure just total testosterone or free testosterone? Only free testosterone is available to your cells, so if he hasn't measured that, have it done. Also, has he measured your thyroid function (TSH)? Another possible cause could be poor sleep. Do you sleep well, without a lot of interruptions? Do you get enough? Some people won't admit they need nine hours, and if you have chronic conditions, you may well need that much. Since I started getting at least nine hours of good sleep, I no longer need a nap in the afternoon. Poor sleep can definitely make you tired all day long. How is your overall physical condition? Are you overweight? Do you exercise regularly? Is your nutritional status excellent? Some people who have suffered damaged mitochondria from past use of drugs like d4T seem to benefit from certain supplements, which you've probably read about here. It sounds like neither you nor your doctor attritbutes your fatigue to the HBV infection. Chronic fatigue syndrome is another possiblity, but I would want to eliminate other stuff first. A good physician will do a comprehensive search for possible causes, asking a lot of questions. You can help by asking yourself a lot of questions (like those above) first. Your fatigue sounds like it's really affecting your life. You need to let your doctor know that you consider this a serious problem and want it diagnosed and treated if possible. I hope you get copies of your labs so you can keep things under review. Bottom line - if he doesn't have a clue and won't try to help you find out what's going on, then it may be time to look for a better doctor. Hopefully your persistence in demanding action will wake him up and he will help you find out what's going on, and it will be a learning experience for both of you. Best of luck. Butch Original message: 2a. Fatigue Posted by: "tequilabumrise" tequilabumrise@... tequilabumrise Date: Sat Dec 2, 2006 7:51 am ((PST))Hi all, I have been reading and learning a lot from this group and I am thankful for the forum and all who contribute and are in it. I am 40, have been poz and HBV since 1987 and am virologically stable (under 50 copies and all). I started off w/ a combo of 3TC, D4T and Viracept. I went on to Reyataz, 3Tc and Viread. I then switched to Truvada, Reyataz and Norvir. I then decided on going to Kaletra Mono to give my body a break, and was good w/ it for about a month before I realized that the lower GI problems I was having wasn't worth it, so I went back to Truvada, Reyataz and Norvir which I am now taking. The reason why I am writing to you all is that I have been battling fatigue for over a year now. I am not talking about the 'oh, I have to rest for a minute or lay down for a nap' stuff, I am down and out beat. It is affecting each and every part of my life now from work to my sex life w/ my partner. I wake up tired, I go to work tired, I come home tired. I cook a meal and forget about it, sit down to eat, fall asleep, wake up from the fire alarm or the b/f howling (ok, being dramatic), eat, take a shower, go to bed, wake up again, yell at God and do it all over again. My doctor has told me that there is nothing that can be done about this and that it is something that I have to live with. I do not agree with this. I have never felt this worn out. I know I am 'middle aged', but still, I don't feel that this is all age related. I have had my testosterone measured and am within the normal albiet the low end but I have never felt this worn out in my life. As stated I have HBV but it is under control so I don't think this a problem due to taking Viread. I have by nature a sunny disposition but the impact this is having on me is pushing it to the limit. I am not one to complain about things, I know there are others out there who have it worse than I do, but I need some advice and guidance. I was wondering if you guys and gals can offer me some advice or point me in the right direction(s) so I can address this issue. Please feel free to e-mail me directly, any information or advice will be greatly appreciated. Be well, sorry for rattling on so long and I thank you all in advance. . Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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