Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Email 328: Supplements to Gain Weight


Hi Pozziepinoy,

Please refer to my case on email no. 220 (Jan 29, 2013) of your blog as background. Reading from your blog, we have been taking the  same line of ARVs. I started the HIV treatment in the last week of Jan this year thru SAGIP, while taking my PTB meds, the latter ending on 1st week of May 2013 (at last!).

Anyhow, so far I am now surviving the ill-effects of the ARVs especially the occasional fever on the 1st month of my HIV treatment, where my IDS refers it as IRIS, and says it is normal. However, itchiness occasionally exasperate me, which made my skin looks ugly specially on buttocks and legs, at times I also have rashes on my face that lasted for a day or 2. My Derma thinks those are still the adverse reactions of my PTB meds. Of course, I am positively going through all the spinoffs. Meanwhile, my kidneys and liver are doing fine so far per latest lab test results 2 weeks ago in spite of taking Myrin since Sept last year; thanks God.

My concern now is my nourishment and aim for additional weight since I actually loose weight when I started ARV in Jan. Aside from food, I also drink Ensure but becomes inconsistent recently because it's high in price. May I know the brand of vitamins &  minerals  or supplements you personally  taking,  as well as its administration and dosage?Are these vits prescribed by your IDS? I haven't asked my IDS in SAGIP yet, maybe later this week upon getting the supply of ARVs; I would like first to establish benchmark and advice from you. Please note that I haven't taking any supplements since Dec 2012, on the thinking that it may additionally burden my liver and kidney except for Milo Adult in lieu of Ensure, but I think I don't get the needed nutrients.

Please advise.

Thanks a lot.

Mr. T




POZZIEPINOY’S RESPONSE


Hi Mr. T.

Thank you for your email. Thank you reading the blog again. I am happy that you are done with your PTB meds and I really believe that you are taking your ARV's religiously as prescribed by your IDS.

As for my supplements, I just take multivitamins (Centrum), 1 tablet everyday as recommended by my doctor. I also take Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) 500mg if I feel I'm catching a cold to prevent it, again this was recommended by my doctor. 

However, like what we have discussed here, you really don't have to take supplements because you can get the necessary nutrients from the food you are taking. You have to consider that the ARV's are already toxic to our liver and kidneys and adding other supplements may be harder to our body organs. However, the rule is to ALWAYS consult with your doctor first before taking anything. I am only taking my vitamins because I have the go signal from my doctor who knows my health history. The supplements that I am taking may be good for me but may not be suitable for you so you need to coordinate with your IDS first. You can also refer from the previous blog posts below:


To gain weight on the other hand, you just have to increase your calorie intake to 500 calories to gain a pound a week. Exercise can stimulate your appetite, so you should combine this with your diet plan.

I hope I was able to answer your concerns. Feel free to email me again if you have other questions.


Stay healthy,
Pozziepinoy





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