Dear PLWHAs, Do not lose hope ! Silence=Death

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Dear Forum,

This message is exclusively for PLWHAs, but others may read it too.

In the last few days there has been reports of a suicide, a very ill man in

Mumbai, and death of an AIDS activist.

As you probably all know, your immune system gets a boost(or does not deplete as

rapidly) if you do not worry, and keep calm in the face of adversity. I am

faithless, but if you do have faith, sit down and meditate for a few minutes

drawing deep breathes, when things seem unbearable.

I get solace from Rabindrasangeet. Gandhi liked the song 'Jadi tor daak shune

keu na ashe tobe ekla cholo re' (in Bangla), or in Hindi, 'Yadi tera pukar sunke

koi na aaye, to ekela hi chal re', written by Rabindranath. It was used during

the independence movement, and it can be used again. If someone adept in Hindi

can perhaps post the whole song in Hindi. Tagore's copyright has expired, so you

will not be persecuted!

Now for some practical matters. I am not too sure what you mean by first

generation and second generation drugs.

I have a list here of drugs available as of October 2006, in USA, and they are

categorized into four classes, viz PIs (protease inhibitors), Nucleoside Reverse

Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase

Inhibitors (NNRTIs) and Fuzeon Inhibitor (not available in generic form in

India). There is a fifth class in the pipeline, called Integrase Inhibitors,

ready for human

trials.

In this forum, some doctor, once listed all the names of the drugs available in

India. Altogether there are 13 NRTIs, 9 PIs , 3 NNRTIs

and 1 Fuzeon I, in the US market.

The reason why I wrote all this is to make you aware that it is possible to

download all this information from the world wide web.

These can be translated into regional languages, and copies kept in help/support

centers in each city or rural areas, so that the layperson (PWLHA) can read

about these medicines, their side effects and drug interactions.

Perhaps AIR or BBC or even the dastardly Star TV run by that Australian Murdoch,

can run readings of the drug names, and when to take it, for those who are

illiterate. Here is a website that might be helpful: www.acria.org, AIDS

Community Research Initiative of America.

The brand names in India will differ, like Zidovudine is called Retrovir or AZT

or ZDV, in USA. You will feel better when you are empowered with information,

like all PIs cause dairrhea etc.

There are also websites for all Opportunistic Infections (OIs) like

CMV, MAC, TB etc. You might find that the treatment for CMV, only

available as a drip earlier, is now also given in oral form.

Do check for CMV in your blood when your CD4 drops below 50. All bus stops and

subway stations in NYC have big posters of the different OIs posted all the

wall.

It always helps to know about the medicines you will be taking.

Lastly, there is a slogan : Silence=Death. It was uplifting to hear

the disease ridden, frail, Yale graduate, Larry Kramer, shouting

this over the microphone, when the only medicine available was AZT.

All Indians and PIOs from Yale should remember this, since Yale

refused to archive his works in their library.

Sorry for the long note. Do not lose hope!

Sincerely,

Priyadarshi Datta, PLWHA.

e-mail: <thurpu@...>