Descovy side effects

[Pittlookalike]

Just started descovy.  Within a couple of hours, i have an upset stomach and a disoriented spacy feeling in my head.  I guess that’s normal?  After how many days of taking descovy will these side effects stop?   Thx for your info 

[+ Lucky]

It might be best to discuss this with your doctor!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Pittlookalike said:

Just started descovy.  Within a couple of hours, i have an upset stomach and a disoriented spacy feeling in my head.  I guess that’s normal?  After how many days of taking descovy will these side effects stop?   Thx for your info 

Side-effects usually improve over time. If they're not too severe, I wouldn't stop. No way to know how many days, but I'd be surprised if they weren't a lot better over the next 2 weeks. Truvada side-effects are pretty similar. The main two reasons to take Descovy instead of Truvada are kidney disease or osteoporosis (brittle bones). 

[pubic_assistance]

When I asked MY doctor about anti-HIV medications his response is: "wear a condom".

Lots of side effects and long range damage to my liver - or - forego bareback sex ?

I will stick with the condom.

[+ Lucky]

3 minutes ago, pubic_assistance said:

When I asked MY doctor about anti-HIV medications his response is: "wear a condom".

Lots of side effects and long range damage to my liver - or - forego bareback sex ?

I will stick with the condom.

I like your doctor.

[Quincy_7]

2 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

When I asked MY doctor about anti-HIV medications his response is: "wear a condom".

Lots of side effects and long range damage to my liver - or - forego bareback sex ?

I will stick with the condom.

Take a pill every day so you don't have to take a pill every day.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

When I asked MY doctor about anti-HIV medications his response is: "wear a condom".

Lots of side effects and long range damage to my liver - or - forego bareback sex ?

I will stick with the condom.

It depends on how often you bottom and with whom. Who told you it can damage the liver? That's the 2nd time someone has brought up that false statement on this forum. Truvada appears to possibly cause kidney damage, not liver damage. If it's your doctor, he's advertising that he's misinformed. His statement also seems rather flippant. When used correctly and consistently, condoms provide  up to 90 to 95% protection, whereas Truvada provides a good 99% protection (almost foolproof when used together), so the answer to which is better depends on one's sexual habits and risk tolerance. A person who bottoms with lots of other men, especially if they're escorts, would be better off with PrEP, if using only one method. The odds of getting HIV would be higher than the odds of kidney damage (which can be monitored in any case--one has to get regular blood draws in order to continue getting PrEP, regardless). Just because someone has MD after his name doesn't mean he's a good doctor. You know the old riddle of "What do they call the person who graduated at the bottom of his medical school class?" (Answer: "doctor")

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9141163/

"...Although recent meta-analyses of condom effectiveness suggest that condoms are 60 to 70% effective when used for HIV prophylaxis, these studies do not isolate consistent condom use, and therefore provide only a lower bound on the true effectiveness of correct and consistent condom use. A reexamination of HIV seroconversion studies suggests that condoms are 90 to 95% effective when used consistently..."

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/expert-answers/prep-hiv/faq-20456940#:~:text=A person who takes Truvada,for Disease Control and Prevention.

"...A person who takes Truvada every day can lower his or her risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 99% percent and from injection drug use by more than 74% percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research suggests that Descovy is similarly effective in reducing the risk of getting HIV from sex..."

Edited September 21, 2022 by Unicorn

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

49 minutes ago, Unicorn said:

It depends on how often you bottom and with whom. Who told you it can damage the liver? That's the 2nd time someone has brought up that false statement on this forum. Truvada appears to possibly cause kidney damage, not liver damage. If it's your doctor, he's advertising that he's misinformed. His statement also seems rather flippant. When used correctly and consistently, condoms provide  up to 90 to 95% protection, whereas Truvada provides a good 99% protection (almost foolproof when used together), so the answer to which is better depends on one's sexual habits and risk tolerance. A person who bottoms with lots of other men, especially if they're escorts, would be better off with PrEP, if using only one method. The odds of getting HIV would be higher than the odds of kidney damage (which can be monitored in any case--one has to get regular blood draws in order to continue getting PrEP, regardless). Just because someone has MD after his name doesn't mean he's a good doctor. You know the old riddle of "What do they call someone who graduated at the bottom of his medical school class?" (Answer: "doctor")

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9141163/

"...Although recent meta-analyses of condom effectiveness suggest that condoms are 60 to 70% effective when used for HIV prophylaxis, these studies do not isolate consistent condom use, and therefore provide only a lower bound on the true effectiveness of correct and consistent condom use. A reexamination of HIV seroconversion studies suggests that condoms are 90 to 95% effective when used consistently..."

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiv-aids/expert-answers/prep-hiv/faq-20456940#:~:text=A person who takes Truvada,for Disease Control and Prevention.

"...A person who takes Truvada every day can lower his or her risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 99% percent and from injection drug use by more than 74% percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research suggests that Descovy is similarly effective in reducing the risk of getting HIV from sex..."

Very well replied.  Medical facts, not one random GP saying 'just use condoms' without backing up why.

Modern medical science is available for good reason.  Use PrEP, use condoms, use whatever makes you comfortable...  But don't shit on hard science that's backed-up by multiple, years long studies.

The studies quoted above are just the tip of the iceberg.  There are dozens, all stating the same thing.

Edited September 21, 2022 by BenjaminNicholas

[pubic_assistance]

3 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Who told you it can damage the liver?

A quick online search will confirm my statement.

To answer your question: my GP told me.

"Descovy can sometimes cause severe and even life threatening liver problems. Symptoms of a liver problem can include: yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes. nausea and vomiting."

[Pittlookalike]

Thx for all your answers.  The upset stomach and disoriented feeling went away in a few hours.  Then I’ve had tingling in my behind and leg most of the day!   And this is just my first day on descovy.  

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

1 hour ago, pubic_assistance said:

A quick online search will confirm my statement.

To answer your question: my GP told me.

"Descovy can sometimes cause severe and even life threatening liver problems. Symptoms of a liver problem can include: yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes. nausea and vomiting."

Your GP is just that.  General.  A jack of many trades, but usually a master of none.

I'd suggest you talk to an ID doc.  A specialist.  They will fully support that Descovy (and Truvada) are safe and more effective than condoms (whether pairing with or barebacking).

Let's put things into perspective:  Aspirin kills over 3k people a year.  Descovy and Truvada, zero.

And for more reading on the safety level of Descovy:

https://www.poz.com/article/descovy-prep-remains-safe-effective-96-weeks

[Guest]

6 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

A quick online search will confirm my statement.

To answer your question: my GP told me.

"Descovy can sometimes cause severe and even life threatening liver problems. Symptoms of a liver problem can include: yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes. nausea and vomiting."

My post was clearly discussing Truvada (that medication mentioned several times in my post). There is no reason to take Descovy unless there's a history of kidney disease or osteoporosis. Not even if the makers of Descovy took your doctor out to wine and dine him with a sleek Madinson Avenue presentation. Shame on your doctor if he's prescribing Descovy instead of Truvada (it's about 30 times more expensive) without the appropriate reason. Truvada also has a longer safety record (and it's quite good). Liver reactions are even rarer than kidney reactions, and appear to resolve when the medication is stopped. I haven't heard of any reports of permanent liver damage from either medication. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Unicorn

[pubic_assistance]

11 hours ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

Your GP is just that.  General.  A jack of many trades, but usually a master of none.

Disrespecting my Doctor of many years, simply because you don't agree with him seems a bit immature doesn't it ?

This is not some Jack-in-the-box GP from a walk-in-clinic.  My G.P. is a highly respected doctor and has a long standing practice. I pay out of pocket for his services, because you don't get high quality practitioners from your insurance company these days.

The most important fact here is that he is NOT one of these guys who's taking money on the side to prescribe medication. His holistic approach is "health first" and he is being reasonable in his evaluation of a drug that has a history of destructive side effects.  I can certainly strap on a condom. I spent plenty of years when I was younger, using condoms because I didn't want any unexpected pregnancies with my female companions, I didn't want to catch HIV from my male companions and I didn't want any STD's from either.

If bare-backing is SO important to you...then you do you. But don't bury your head in the sand and call people stupid for not joining you there. That's dangerous and irresponsible to your community.

Edited September 22, 2022 by pubic_assistance

[pubic_assistance]

Well at least you can SUE for damages after your Truvada gives you liver failure and brittle bones.....

https://www.youhavealawyer.com/hiv-drugs/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=tdf&utm_term=truvada complications&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj7CZBhDHARIsAPPWv3dzc-iYVgpw8QVKkF7cOeNwxOUAsto70IrX-X3jmoxkGDyKGG_cBHgaAsuvEALw_wcB

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

8 minutes ago, pubic_assistance said:

Disrespecting my Doctor of many years, simply because you don't agree with him seems a bit immature doesn't it ?

This is not some Jack-in-the-box GP from a walk-in-clinic.  My G.P. is a highly respected doctor and has a long standing practice. I pay out of pocket for his services, because you don't get high quality practitioners from your insurance company these days.

The most important fact here is that he is NOT one of these guys who's taking money on the side to prescribe medication. His holistic approach is "health first" and he is being reasonable in his evaluation of a drug that has a history of destructive side effects.  I can certainly strap on a condom. I spent plenty of years when I was younger, using condoms because I didn't want any unexpected pregnancies with my female companions, I didn't want to catch HIV from my male companions and I didn't want any STD's from either.

If bare-backing is SO important to you...then you do you. But don't bury your head in the sand and call people stupid for not joining you there. That's dangerous and irresponsible to your community.

You're now veering sharply from my reply which is a classic strawman tactic. 

Frankly, I just don't care enough to keep going back and forth with a total stranger about his medical health.

You do you 👍✌️

Edited September 22, 2022 by BenjaminNicholas

[pubic_assistance]

7 hours ago, Unicorn said:

My post was clearly discussing Truvada (that medication mentioned several times in my post).

Ok. But the subject of the conversation thread is Decovy ( read the heading ) and that is also what I was discussing.

Yes. Truvada is a related subject. But you asked me a question from a discussion about Descovy, not Truvada.

[pubic_assistance]

11 minutes ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

You're now veering sharply from my reply which is a classic strawman tactic. 

Respectfully: I am responding to the member who is worried about side effects of Descovy. MY advice is that he should consider the side effect CAREFULLY as they don't all "just go away" after a week or two.

If anyone is "veering" it's those who want their bareback sex so badly they willfully ignore the facts and pretend there aren't any side effects to Descovy ( or Truvada ).

Everyone needs to choose their priorities. My singular comment about MY personal choice was just THAT. A singular opinion. But it was based on a Professional opinion.  What I did not share is that it was also backed up by a second professional opinion of a very close friend of mine who is a leading PhD in Immunology and the head of research and funding at a pharmaceutical company who agrees with this point. It's a matter of your priorities, but long term use of either of these drugs has proven to be risky. No matter WHAT the pharmaceutical industry does to control the message by flooding the internet with online posts about how "safe and effective" it is.  ( Which my INDUSTRY INSIDER friend confirmed is true ).

There wouldn't be ads for MULTIPLE lawyers looking to SUE the pharmaceutical company on your behalf if these drugs were consistently "safe and effective". So just use a bit of logic and you'll see the "safety" of these drugs is marketing, not fact.

 

 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 9/21/2022 at 8:20 AM, Pittlookalike said:

Just started descovy.  Within a couple of hours, i have an upset stomach and a disoriented spacy feeling in my head.  I guess that’s normal?  After how many days of taking descovy will these side effects stop?   Thx for your info 

 

13 hours ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

Your GP is just that.  General.  A jack of many trades, but usually a master of none.

I'd suggest you talk to an ID doc.  A specialist.  They will fully support that Descovy (and Truvada) are safe and more effective than condoms (whether pairing with or barebacking).

Let's put things into perspective:  Aspirin kills over 3k people a year.  Descovy and Truvada, zero.

And for more reading on the safety level of Descovy:

https://www.poz.com/article/descovy-prep-remains-safe-effective-96-weeks

I switched to Descovy from Truvada about 8 years ago.  I remember having strong headaches and disorientation for about a day. It went away after about a day, and no problems or complications since.  I hope everything works out for you.

I see a gay internal medicine HIV specialist 2 or 3 times a year to make sure everything's working right.  Even when he moved out of my healthcare network, I choose to pay out of network prices to continue to see him because we talk about everything and test for everything.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Vegas_nw1982

[+ sniper]

What irritates me is Descovy bought Google ad space under searches for "Generic Truvada" and so my primary care provider just prescribed me Descovy. Now I need to call her back and get this fixed. I don't care that my out of pocket is the same either way, I refuse to let some pharma bros line their pockets with this deception. 

[Exploritor]

Whether on Truvada, or the newer Descovy, it's generally REQUIRED that you have testing of both liver and kidney function, so ensure you're not one of the lower percentage of people who experience these possible adverse reactions.

Condoms are great, but breakage does occur.  Also, with more and more people on PrEP, there are shockingly fewer and fewer people using, or even willing to use condoms.  For some people, this is a red flag in their weeding process.  PrEP does nothing for other STIs, so that's far from unreasonable.

Back to the OP, if the symptoms don't settle, or worsen, definitely seek professional advice.  Strangers on the internet can never be guaranteed to be a reliable source, especially with no way to verify their knowledge, or experience.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

16 minutes ago, sniper said:

What irritates me is Descovy bought Google ad space under searches for "Generic Truvada" and so my primary care provider just prescribed me Descovy. Now I need to call her back and get this fixed. I don't care that my out of pocket is the same either way, I refuse to let some pharma bros line their pockets with this deception. 

Wow.  😲  I'd be calling my doctor, too...to request my medical records and move on to a different doctor.  Was there no discussion of known side effects with each alternative?  Crazy 😧

Edited September 22, 2022 by Vegas_nw1982

[+ sniper]

This is an NP in the suburbs and it's her first time prescribing it. I'm willing to cut her some slack that it was an honest mistake on her part, she was actually glad to write it as she had worked in AIDS clinics 30 years ago when she was starting out. I don't think this was a deliberate thing but rather she was misled.

Try googling "generic Truvada" and see what comes up first in the search.

I was planning to use the 2-1-1 regimen which was my other reason for preferring Truvada.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

...There wouldn't be ads for MULTIPLE lawyers looking to SUE the pharmaceutical company on your behalf if these drugs were consistently "safe and effective". So just use a bit of logic and you'll see the "safety" of these drugs is marketing, not fact.

Now, it's quite silly to believe that the fact that lawyers are suing is evidence of a medications lack of safety. You don't really believe that, do you? Countless suits have been filed, and many won, without any real evidence. All the lawyer needs is a gullible jury. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Unicorn

[Guest]

1 hour ago, sniper said:

What irritates me is Descovy bought Google ad space under searches for "Generic Truvada" and so my primary care provider just prescribed me Descovy. Now I need to call her back and get this fixed. I don't care that my out of pocket is the same either way, I refuse to let some pharma bros line their pockets with this deception. 

Eeek! On many levels! Doesn't your NP attend continuing medical education classes? And what kind of insurance company doesn't require a prior authorization to be requested for an extraordinarily expensive medication like Descovy when there's an equally effective medication available for some 30 times less? 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

... he is being reasonable in his evaluation of a drug that has a history of destructive side effects.  I can certainly strap on a condom. ..

There's a reason my prior response started with "It depends on how often you bottom and with whom." Since you state you're strapping on condoms, one might infer that you're a top. If you don't bottom, then the 90% vs 99% efficacy matters less, since contracting HIV from topping is already a rarer event, so we're talking about weighing very rare events on either side of the risk/benefit equation. However, the science (randomized clinical trials, data on rare complications, etc.) is out there, and the math calculated. For those who bottom with multiple partners, it's simply a statistical fact that outcomes are better for Truvada or Descovy vs condoms alone. If I were a bottom, I'd use both. I almost never bottom (once in the last 2 years, and that was with my beau), so for me condoms are the safer alternative. 

I don't know if your PCP told you that these medications have "a history of destructive side-effects." These medications have been used by millions and are safer than most other medications out there. Kidney and liver injury are thousands of times more common in many over-the-counter medications we take for granted such as Tylenol, ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen. If he really told you that, he's just a skillful concierge doctor who's good at reading his patients and telling them what they want to hear, regardless if it's truthful or not. Telling people what they want to hear is always a good business model.