HIV meds post op

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this or not.  My partner is HIV positive. We both had RNY surgery done about 2 weeks ago. We are doing good.

He was wondering if anyone has had any problems taking the huge pills for HIV? DID you have to start looking for liquids to take? Do yall have to grind up your pills?

David B.

Congrats to you both on the surgery!!   I think you should call his dr or pharmacy and ask.   I had the lap band and took my stuff liquid.  Some pills are able to be grinded and some are not to be grinded.  Hope you get some answers soon!

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Hi Big Bear
Thanks for the reply!
  Yes I did do a med plan with my Dr.s and it too included liquid Norvire which was why got David to do the post as it tastes sooooo nasty and it doesn't go away, was hoping for another alternative LOL. My WLS surgeon was also hesitant (he had only done one other HIV+ person in 5 years) but my HIV Dr. reassured him and he did what he called an ethical consult(talked with some other surgeons about the absorption issue) and since he did the surgery I assume that all felt it  OK. To be honest if he hadn't wanted to do the by-pass I probably would have looked until I found a Dr. who would have as I have worked on having the surgery for 5 years and was dead  set on the by-pass. I know 5 other HIV+ people that have had it with no problems. Yes I'm a little concerned about future issues but Ive been positive since 87' with no problems so guess I just felt it was worth the risk, a decision we all have to make for our self's.
      Thanks again!
           Randy

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Thanks for that tip. I tried mixing the pills and noriver with a little bit of water tonight was still nasty but was able to shoot it LOL, wil add lemon tomorrow. I mix it in with my shake in the morning and that is not too bad. Hope I have the same luck as you did with my #'s as I could certinly do with them getting better LOL.

   Keep on Keeping on!
        Randy

Hi David -

I am HIV + also....I haven't had my surgery yet, I have actually just started my 6 months of weight loss required by my insurance.

I am taking Reyataz and Epzicom right now. My doctor told me that after the surgery I will have to come off of the Reyataz as it need stomach acid to work - it is the only one of all the HIV meds that has this requirement. Outside of this he said that there are some meds that do come in liquid form. He didn't tell me which ones as I haven't needed to switch yet.

My PCP only sees poz patients. He told me at my last visit that he has quite a some guys in his practice that have had the surgery and are experiencing no problems with their HIV.

I also asked about crushing up the meds and taking them with water. He said that it is not the best thing to do, but that some people who have had by-pass do this with their HIV meds.

My gastric surgeon has a consult call set up with my PCP. The surgeon wants to make sure that any pills I take are no larger than the size of a green pea and do not have to be sustained release or controlled release tablets as these will not work after the surgery.

Hope that this helps.....Call your MD that follows your HIV and ask what your options are.

Michael H.

I'm no expert in HIV meds and maybe this is a stupid question but wouldn't a sleeve be the ideal WLS type for anyone w/HIV?  No stoma for pills to fit through, no malabsorption issues, etc.

Is my thinking wrong?

Actually I think a sleeve would work well.  The Lap-Band is also fine because the pills will pass through the band and will digest normally.

But the band (I had one) still has a stoma and one could not have more restriction than pills would permit.  A sleeve is your stomach, just smaller.  No stoma, no malabsorption.

I don't know, maybe pills fit through a banded stoma but I used to do floor nursing and when I did, HIV meds would not typically fit through a banded stoma.  But... that was a few years ago.  Maybe the tablets/capsules are smaller now?