Resolved question:
hi I am HIV positive lady who started with the medication exactly one year and eight months ago before the birth of my baby, and ever since I started with the medication I have been having a diarrhea, which was severe at the beginning but it become mild but never stopped hence my stools are soft but not runny and immediately after eating I can feel my stomach processing the food into runny stools as if I have drunk laxatives. I thought the medication is working well but I have lost a lot of weight and I am not gaining back. Could the medication be the reason I am not gaining any weight?
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Community
Hello, you have been diagnosed as HIV positive and are on medication where you have developed diarrhea and feel you have lost weight as well. Unexplained chronic diarrhea in HIV infection is due to many possible causes including bacterial (Salmonella, Shigella, hysteria or Campylobacter) and parasite infections and uncommon opportunistic infections such as Cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis, Mycobacterium avium complex and viruses like astro, adeno, Rota and cytomegalovirus. In some cases diarrhea may be a side effect of several drugs used to treat HIV or it may simply accompany HIV infection, particularly during primary HIV infection. It may also be a side effect of antibiotics used to treat bacterial causes of diarrhea. (Common - clostridium difficile). In the later stages of HIV infection, diarrhea is thought to be a reflection of changes in the way the intestinal tract absorbs nutrients and may be an important component of HIV related wasting. In view of this, it is better you consult your physician, who has prescribed some medicine for your infection. Hope this helps. Thank you.