Generic Name: Triumeq for HIV Infection (abacavir-dolutegravir-lamivudine)
"Thought I would be the first to post as I was looking around for reviews before starting this medicine. Basically, I switched from Atripla to Triumeq. After 2 years of being on Atripla, I was having some depression symptoms and was also worried about long-term bone and kidney impacts. I've been on Triumeq for 2 months now and it's been great. Viral Load is still undetectable and depression is gone. I honestly love this medicine so far and would recommend it for anyone thinking of switching. The only possible side effect I've experienced is difficulty getting a deep sleep the first 3 nights after starting, but honestly, this could've been me worrying a bit about the medication swap. All in all, this medicine has been great so far and I would definitely recommend."
"I was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS 25 years ago. I was taking Trezavir, then Atripla for 15 years. Then I got sick last year. I was told that I only have a year to live. I get boils all over my body about the size of a baseball. The doctor switched me to Triumeq. I hesitated to take it. I just opened the bottle. After a month, I've been taking it now for three days, no side effects yet. Had a few headaches, but that's about all. Please pray for me. I have a wife and a family."
"I was the first reviewer back in Oct 2014 and did an annual review last year. I've now been in Triumeq for 2 years after 2 years in Atripla. Back in 2014, I had been waiting for Triumeq to be released after reading all the great trial results with minimal side effects. After 2 years, Triumeq remains awesome. I have no side effects and have maintained an undetectable VL for 4 straight years. HIV has not slowed me down a bit thanks to this great medication (I'm a competitive athlete). I was worried at first about cardiovascular issues. I've run countless races, including an Ironman distance, while on this drug. I'm extremely happy with this med."
"I was diagnosed as HIV positive on April 9, 2015, and had my first appointment with an ID doctor on April 29, 2015. My CD4 was at 536 and my viral load at 197,689. I began taking Triumeq on June 1, and after only 30 days, my blood work came back with my CD4 at 1192 and my viral load was undetectable. I never had any side effects since being on Triumeq. I have great insurance, and with the patient savings card, I pay nothing. I am 55 years old and am very healthy with high energy and never missed a day of work in over 15 years. Triumeq is definitely an HIV wonder drug that I would highly recommend to anyone living with this disease."
"I started Triumeq last month, and I am happy to say that there are no side effects with me at this time. I feel better and have no joint pain. I recommend this drug for all that have to live with HIV. My doctor is the best for putting me on this. I have had HIV for 20 years now and can't wait for more advancements to destroy this virus."
"Started on Triumeq exactly 1 month. Trying to understand that viral meds can have some side effects. This one has not been a pleasant experience. By all accounts, I am very active and have a vigorous job that needs me to be alert. This med has worn me down physically and emotionally. I have no energy and bad headaches. My body is achy constantly and the overall feeling of waiting to puke. I had to remove myself from work until I can figure if this is indeed the result of the medication. I am beginning to think it is. The labs will tell more. I have never experienced side effects before on any other meds. I was switching because of cholesterol numbers. I will most likely go back to Atripla. I have been living with this disease for 30 years."
"November 2016 was my initial HIV+ detection. I learned that I had a 1 million+ viral load and only 46 T-cells. Today, I am undetectable. Undetectable! It is with some seriously amazing awe that I also read on my latest blood work that my T-cell count is now 402! My infectious disease doctor told me that I might be experiencing "IRIS" (immune reconstitution syndrome) and believes that if I am adherent to the prescription regimen, I may see a 500 t-cell count in the coming year. Several good people prayed for me; for them I am truly grateful. I am also taking time to write here because I am convinced that Triumeq saved my life. I hope my comments can be of help to others."
"I was diagnosed with HIV in September 2015, my viral load was over 10 million, and my CD4 was below 500. I was prescribed TRIUMEQ just over 5 months ago - I can say that I have already reached an undetectable viral load and my CD4 is almost 600. I've never felt better and I have so much more energy lately. TRIUMEQ is saving my life :)"
"I've been taking Triumeq for three days now and it has been a wonderful experience. I haven't had any side effects from taking this medication. I can tell it's working because my joint pain I was having before I started taking Triumeq is beginning to slack off. I will post my labs in two weeks."
"Great pills! Im useing Tmq from 2017. My CD4 is 1200 and viral load is 0. In the beginning it was 100 000, and after 1 month it was 0. My CD4 was 200 and after 1 year of usein Tmq it was completely recovered, 1200, and it is like that for last 2 years. I have very dry skin and sometime sleeping problems."
"I've been on this medication for about 6 weeks now. This is the first medication I have used as I just received diagnosis as positive about 2 months ago. At that time my viral load was 10,600 and when we just tested at 5 weeks it was undetectable (<20). I had nausea several days out of the week when I first started taking this, but now it's rare (maybe once every week or two). This med is really working for me and the copay card covers all of what my insurance will not cover."
"I recently found out about my positive status on 8/28/14. My prior HIV test was on 8/6/13, and it was negative, so I believe I contracted it at some point in 2014. I didn't start Triumeq until 12/28/14. The first 2 days, about 15 minutes after taking the pill, I had a slight headache and minimal nausea. Nothing unbearable, though. I haven't had any serious side effects, and the headaches and nausea no longer occur; again, I have only been on this for a little over a week. It does seem like my digestive system is more active. I used to go to the restroom every other day; now it seems I have to go every morning. Other than that, I haven't had any other issues. CD4 is 840, Viral 1170 on initial labs."
"I am a long term survivor with no HIV related complications, ever. I have never had an adverse reaction to an HIV medication as well. I took the blood test to make sure I was not allergic to the medication. I did my homework on this drug as well, and many people really like it. I was basically bedridden for 19 days, and got off the medication. 2 days later, I ended up in the ER with pancreas complications. "Making your life easier with 1 pill a day" is not necessarily the way to go. In my opinion, they marketed this drug too quickly."
"I have been taking Trimeq for a little over 12 months. Right from. Very beginning I have had no side effects taking this medication. I don't take any other regular medications which seems to be what's behind the issues some others have. Before infection was was tested for HIV every three months so when I was diagnosed I made the decision to commence treatment immediately. I have not once regretted this decision. The pathology tells the story the best: Last tests before treatment: CD4- 670, VL 36,900 4 weeks after commencing treatment - CD4- 793, VL 43 12 months later - CD4 - 1167, Viral load undetectable Frankly I have never felt better!"
"I have been HIV Positve for about 32 years. The last cocktail I was taking for about 8 years was Epzicom and Combivir . A year ago I changed my regimen to Triumeq . Initially, the side effects I experienced were sleeplessness, nausea and stomach gas, these symptoms lasted for about 3 months. Due to the sleeplessness, started taking the medication in the mornings instead of the evenings. The first positive thing I noticed was that my skin became more hydrated and I had less skin eruptions. After one year on the medication I feel very normal , I continue to workout 3 times a week and my energy level is high. My Viral Load remains undetectable and my CD4 went from 800 to 1,150 . I am very happy that I made the switch to Triumeq ."
"Diagnosed in Feb of 2015 and tried 2 other drugs. The last 2 causes so much nausea and vomiting that I couldn't take it. Also, it was messing up my liver. My doctor put me on this and I've had little to no side effects. I have nausea but that's only if I take it on a empty stomach and it only last for about 20 minutes. I'm undetectable now and my CD4 count came from 14 to 376 the last time I checked last year. I'm going back in September to check my progress. This drug saved my life. I was basically on my deathbed before this drug."
"I started taking Triumeq almost two years after my diagnosis, I gave the drug a 9/10, as Ive never taken another. I started on the medicine after months of being sick and immunity loss. My viral load was rising and my cd4 was falling fast due to lifestyle choices. Getting on this medicine was a hard decision, but one I would make again, and this time I'd do it sooner. Within no time I was undetectable and my immunity doubled. My Dr told me it wouldn't work as quick as it did, so we were both pleasantly surprised on my numbers. It has now been a year, still undetectable and now 9 months pregnant with a healthy baby boy. I would recommend this drug to anyone with HIV who is offered it by their doctor. My side effects include upset stomach."
"Tested positive in april 2015 was prescribed triumeq. Viral load was 55000. T Cell count 199. After only 9 Weeks on medication with Valtrex in conjunction; Viral Load was 30 (that's thirty, basically undetectable) T Cell count up to 478. I had no side effects at all. With manufacture coupon. (print online...had no problem at pharmacy drug is free) think cash price is 4K per month normally"
"I was diagnosed with HIV in May 2016. After taking Triumeq for 4 weeks, my CD4 count has gone from138 to 1054 and my viral load 673,000 and now 2280.... For me this has been a wonder drug. Absolutely no side affects to date.... I haven't felt this good in a long, long time :)"
"I started this medication within three weeks of diagnosis in September 2015. My initial concerns and scares about side effects quickly turned out to be untrue. Apart from tiredness and join pain in the first few weeks, I have virtually no side effects from the medication. I take it in the evening and aim to have 100% adherence. It is remarkable what science has done in the last 30 years since this condition emerged. One of the drugs in the pill, dolutegravir has a long binding time and so far has had no resistance.I look forward to the results of trials with dolutegravir monotherapy. This would be even better in using only one drug to control the virus. I'd recommend Triumeq to anyone starting treatment or those considering a switch."
"Been on Triumeq for a week now and I'm not 100% happy. My last meds stopped working even though I had 100% adherence. Since taking Triumeq I've not slept properly (taking me ages to fall asleep and then waking during the night and taking a long time to go back to sleep) and I'm someone who normally sleeps like a kitten. The other thing I've noticed is really itchy skin: face, neck, torso, legs....no rash, just constant itchy feeling. I've had a couple of dizzy spells one of which made me panic and my heart rate went up to 134 (I was just washing the dishes!). I'll stick with them as one week is too short a time to decide if I can live with the side effects or if they are just temporary. I'll post again in a few weeks."
"ok...its been 30 days and all is well....yes, ive had some ups and downs...anxiety attacks, fever, insomnia, stomach & headaches...but over all i feel great....ive learned that taking my meds earlier than bedtime is better for me & also that the side effects seem to be nonexistent when im well hydrated.......(*DRINK PLENTY OF WATER....)"
"I took Triumeq from early 2016 to early 2017. Although it kept my viral load undetectable, I suffered serious side effects: Bizarre dreams, burping and acid reflux, and serious heart diseases. It caused irregular heart beats, and my heart rates went up to 200 beats per minute when I did light exercises (elliptical) which caused blood pressure to drop so low I collapsed. I also experienced blackout for a brief second several times a day, during walking, sitting, and out of nowhere. I also developed a stenosis on my artery, it's fat buildup in my main blood vessel on my neck that caused my blood flow to drop to 40-50% of normal. And if the fat gets detached and goes into my brain, I will have a stroke. Cardiologist said I should not have heart problem because there is no history of heart disease in my family, and I am not overweight, and this problem only started after taking Triumeq. So doctor changed medication to Descovy + Tivicay, and all the aforementioned side effects went away."
"I made the first review in December 2014. Since there is no dataset for long-term use of triumeq, I thought I'd drop back in for an update. I am exceptionally pleased with this medication. I have no side effects, VL is still undetectable, and CD4 is steady. Triumeq is great!"
"Started this medication 6 months ago. After the first month I was undetectable! My counts are fantastic. Only issue I’ve had is that I’ve developed some gastrointestinal problems but I’m totally fine with that. I’d much rather be a bit gassy and bloated than no longer have a functioning immune system."
Triumeq PD
