Living with HIV in the Philippines: Email 652: On HIV Test and ARV's

hi.

I had unprotected sex with a csw.. after 7days all hell broke loose.. all the abnormal things about my body i never felt before came out, oral thrush, swollen lymphnodes, low grade feverish, weight loss, extreme fatigue.. out of panic i tested for hiv rapid test i came out negative that is expected but i did not cover the 3months window time il comeback after 6weeks for retesting..

my question is what retroviral drug are you taking?.. coz if ever i have ill take viraday ( generic of atripala) less side effects.. and when you have hiv. does your neck hurt like hell?.. when you took up arv did it went away..how much does arv costs? hope u can answer me im freaking out .tnx

POZZIEPINOY’S RESPONSE

Hi.

Thank you for your email.

I am proud of you for taking the HIV test and being responsible for your health. I really hope that others will do what you did. Just make sure to come back after 6 weeks post exposure and retake the HIV test.

Now let's go to your questions.

1. I am taking efavirenz, tenofovir and lamivudine.

2. If after being checked by your doctor and you have HIV related symptoms associated with an infection, there is a separate treatment for those. Your doctor will prescribe you with different lab tests and medications.

3. ARV's are not sold in the Philippines. They are given as a grant by the Global Fund to the Philippines, thus they are FREE in all the HIV/AIDS treatment hubs. Because of this they are:

a. Not available in local pharmacies

b. PLHIV's can't chose what ARV's they want to take

4. However if you would buy the ARV's outside the country, a month supply will cost you around $1000 to $2000.

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

Stay healthy,

Pozziepinoy