Biktarvy for HIV Infection User Reviews (Page 2)

• Its...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 29, 2019

"I have noticed extreme fatigue, mood swings, nightmares that have affected my day-to-day living. I was changed to this treatment because of the lower reported side effects shown in clinical trials in relation to mental health and Biktarvy. I have extreme mood swings, chronic fatigue, sweating, diarrhea, muscle pains, mental blocks, memory problems, stomach/acid reflux, urinating excessively, difficulties with libido, involuntary body movements, and night sweats/mares. This is my 5th HAART regimen since 2010 (diagnosed in 2002). I have been told this is the newest and best drug to treat the virus with fewer side effects (significantly less reported mental health problems with this drug). It has not been as problematic as previous regimens, which included Atripla, Truvada, Nevirapine, etc. However, as with all HAART treatments, side effects are expected. I have suffered extreme side effects from all HAART treatments, which have been physically and mentally disabling."

• Big...
• April 9, 2020

"I’ve been diagnosed since 2007, a total of 14 years strong! Started with Atripla (craziest dreams), then Stribild, then doctors recommended a change, so then switched to Genvoya (the best). Now, with all these meds, I never really had side effects, honestly, to the point I was so healthy, I would forget I’m HIV+ until I had to take a pill. Man, but now with this Biktarvy, my side effects are off the charts. My side effects include a skin rash on my lips, arms, and stomach. Very restless during the day, can’t stay asleep at night, extreme stomach pains in the liver and kidney area, all of a sudden I have a bad knee (major pain). Rash on my penis that I got checked out by two different doctors, they both said I was perfectly fine. There was no activity (sex) going on, so it ruled out STDs and STIs. And I’ve noticed how I recover from things a bit slower."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 5, 2019

"Biktarvy is great. I have been positive since 2013 and started on Stribild in April 2013. Stribild got me undetectable, and I switched to Genvoya once it came on the market. I then switched to Biktarvy once that one came on the market, and I have been undetectable ever since I started with my drug therapy. I haven't had any side effects except for loose stool, but that is something I can deal with. Hope that helps."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 14, 2025

"Normal medication, better than many. Gained a little weight, but it's not critical. All therapy is toxic and causes side effects. This is chemistry that we take daily, so Biktarvy is a modern medication, light and productive. Load 0 C4-600"

• And...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 8, 2019

"I was diagnosed in mid-March. My viral load was a little over 1 million. My CD4 was 42. In one month, viral load went down to 1,700 and CD4 to 214. Huge drop. I’m undetectable for the last 6 weeks. The doctor looks at CD4 this week. Fingers crossed. I’ve had no side effects. Feel great. It’s a miracle drug for me."

• Fig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 22, 2019

"Was diagnosed HIV positive on August 24th of 2019. Went to the hospital for cellulitis and got the news. CD4 count at 24, very low, AIDS range. Started treatment September 11th and feel a lot better. I notice small bursts of energy randomly, almost like I’m reconstructing. At first, I had a pretty tough time sleeping. I don’t know if it was because of the diagnoses or meds. Crazy dreams were an issue for a short period. I haven’t let this slow me down because I’m the same person I was before I knew I was positive. Currently fighting a skin infection, but along with antibiotics. I can’t wait to get my updated CD4 number, I don’t remember what my viral load was, so that’ll be a surprise as well. I’ll update around the 13th of December because that’ll be a solid 90 days. Gained about 23 lbs as well. There is a Biktarvy support group and HIV support group on drugs.com."

• TDa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2019

"I had problems with Biktarvy from the moment I took it. Instantly, my stomach felt like an acid pit, and then the headaches started. I tried taking it with food, taking omeprazole for the acid, popping ginger capsules to soothe my stomach, but nothing helped. I also woke up two nights covered in sweat. After a week, I gave up and went back to good old Genvoya. Based on other comments here, my reaction to Biktarvy is clearly not common, so I hope it works better for others who are thinking about starting treatment with it."

• Rob...
• January 23, 2020

"I’m HIV+ since 2015 and I already changed 3 types of medications: first was Stribild, then Genvoya, and now Biktarvy. The last one is literally the best for me, no side effects, sometimes a nightmare, but compared to the past medications, I really prefer this one. And really important is that you can take it also without food! Amazing!"

• JJa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2021

"The first month on Biktarvy seemed okay, but after a month, it gave me severe spasms and pain in my calves. The pain was 24 hours a day. Then, after 4 months, it gave me neck pain, and this is when my doc switched my meds back. Biktarvy also raised my cholesterol. It also gave me lipodystrophy in my legs and arms, which is depressing."

• D19...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 25, 2020

"I'm positive since February 2018, was just twenty-one at the time. I have been taking Biktarvy about a year and a half now. They changed me over from Stribild, I think it was for financial reasons they never explained why. The main thing with my experience with HIV is the fatigue. I used to be so much stronger and active. My wrists feel brittle. If I do a few push-ups, my chest feels like it's going to cave in. I spend at least the first half hour of every morning blowing my nose and coughing up mucus. That being said, I'm glad I'm still here thanks to big pharma. It's sad that HIV wasn't sorted out years ago, before I was even born. I just hope people with HIV use their heads and don't pass it on to others. And medical institutions use their heads to rid of it completely."

• New...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 11, 2019

"I was diagnosed with HIV on 8/7/2019. I didn’t start treatment until 9/13/2019. On 10/3/2019, 3 weeks into taking Biktarvy, I took my follow-up tests. I actually had AIDS with a CD4 count of 195 and a VL of 372,000. As of 10/3/2019, my VL is 138 and my CD4 count is 233. I did experience some illness the first couple of weeks, which could be attributed to the Bactrim I was taking and my immune system recovering so quickly. Biktarvy is amazing. I did have a rash, but once I stopped taking Bactrim, it went away. I have so much more energy, and my cognitive functions have improved."

• Mad...
• January 2, 2019

"Just started, and it is going to be a month in 5 days. This is the worst antiviral pill I have ever been on. I was on Tiscavy and Descovy. I have the worst stomach pain and nausea, as well as night terrors to the point that my husband wakes me up. We are not lab rats to experiment on. I’m so mad...been HIV+ going on 8 years."

• jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 22, 2019

"I had a really bad adverse reaction that saw my typically normal blood pressure shoot through the roof (180/120!!!). Went back to the Atripla, and blood pressure is normal again. It is a rare reaction, and my doctor was skeptical, but I really felt like there was a drug-related issue involved in the spike (not just stress, etc.), so I am glad I was firm on wanting to see if changing meds would change things."

• Rob...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 8, 2025

"I have been positive since 2013. I began taking Stribild, which brought me to undetectable within a month. I have been taking Biktarvy since 2019. I have been undetectable the entire time. I haven't had any side effects and am truly grateful! I know it is hard to figure out what to do when you get diagnosed. These drugs have worked fantastically for me, and I hope they work great for others. I also am very thankful for the Gilead co-pay assistance program; it brings my co-pay to zero. After 12 years, I can say I feel fantastic, and HIV is just another part of my life that I take a pill for. HIV is not what defines me at all; it's just another manageable health issue to take care of."

• Che...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2019

"I was diagnosed right before my 20th birthday in 1994 that I was HIV+. I was pregnant, and my VL has been less than 10, and CD4 has gotten no lower than 800, and I have been undetectable for years. I was on 3 pills for the longest time and then 4 pills twice a day before I was put on Biktarvy, and I haven't had any side effects, and I started taking it 3/25/19. I just turned 45 in February. So I have been positive for 24 years now and still going strong. I'll go in May for blood work to see where I'm at because my VL has been less than 10 still, and my CD4 is past 1300 as of the last time they've checked it."

• Tbo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 2, 2019

"I have been HIV+ for ages (2000 officially, with no idea when or how I became +). I started out circling the drain (118 CD4). I started on a multi-pill regimen that saved my life. Then went to Atripla, which kept me healthy and gave me awesomely weird dreams. :) Now I've been switched to Biktarvy. No additional side effects, but I miss my Atripla dreams!!! My Kaiser plan somehow works with big pharma to get me this for free. I don't know how. And I don't care."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 12, 2020

"Got assaulted in June of 2019 and didn’t think about it again until December when I got tested positive for HIV. Sucked that I was 18 and had to deal with this. Started medication in January, and in February, my viral load was undetectable with my CD4 already at 530. Biktarvy is amazing, and I finally feel like my life is back to normal. I can still work out and live healthy for a long time."

• hap...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2019

"I was recently diagnosed with HIV. My VL was 330,000 and CD4 312. Just to be clear, I started my treatment on June 12th. Now my recent lab test shows my VL is 70 and my CD4 396. Only what? 5 weeks? Which means I’m about to be undetectable, and my CD4 goes up higher. Thank God, thanks Biktarvy. No side effects, btw."

• pre...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 23, 2024

"Weird dreams every night, delusions of people wanting to harm me, increased sexual fetishes, loss of concern about anything, sleepy at times, weak, dizzy, agitated, lack of trust in people and medical doctors' faculties. But it's keeping me alive. I guess that's the end goal."

• Ima...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2019

"I was diagnosed with HIV on the 25th of August 2019. My CD4 was 208 cells and my VL was over 10 million. I started using Biktarvy on the 3rd of September and on the 25th of September, so only 22 days after my results came back. My CD4 went up to 697 cells and my VL went down to only 3,600! This is just amazing. When I started using Biktarvy, I had side effects like a foggy head, muscle pain usually in the legs, and a lot of sweating at night while sleeping. This went all away after approx. 2 weeks. From time to time, I still feel tired and have a foggy head, but apparently it is normal."

• Jen...
• November 17, 2020

"I've had the virus for over 25 years, been on many drugs, each with its own side effects. Been on Biktarvy for 2 months, at first it was okay, no side effects apart from sweating badly at night, which I don't mind because it's painless. Then after 4 weeks, I started feeling strange, headache at the back end of my head near the neck, so much joint pain, and my hair started falling out soon after I went on this Biktarvy. It falls off in a strange way, like circles or ringworm, but I don't mind that too because it's painless and I wear wigs all the time. But what's scaring me is the sharp headache. So now I'm giving it 2 weeks to see how it will go, if there will be no change, then I will switch."

• NAa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 21, 2019

"I was diagnosed with HIV infection on May 23, 2019, with a viral load of 97k and a CD4 count of about 500-600. With Biktarvy, I have had no noticeable side effects. I have been very tired, but that may have something to do with the time of year or with the actual HIV infection. Within 3 weeks, my viral load went from 97,000 to 144, and within 3 weeks more, I was undetectable."

• tk1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2019

"After being on Atripla for 10 years, undetectable and CD4 600, my Dr. asked if I wanted to try Biktarvy. She said it is more refined, blah blah, so I went on it. It seems to be fine, no blips or changes. I did start to have crazy dreams, which I didn't get with Atripla. I do want to comment about the blood pressure and kidneys, since I see a lot of people mentioning it here. My blood pressure is suddenly high, and kidney function tests are off. This started recently. Hopefully, it will subside."

• Bil...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 2, 2021

"I want to warn anyone taking this medication who may have similar genetics to mine. My experience with Biktarvy over the past 6 years was awful, and I was not even fully aware or informed of the details of it once I was until way later. I am someone who loves to work out and build muscle. It caused a lot of issues in the muscle building process, which hindered my growth, gave me weak wrists/hands, made me feel fatigued, and it also made me extremely gassy and gave me foul-smelling stools (I almost think it gave me a sort of food allergy while taking it). My doctor eventually concluded that I may be having some mitochondrial toxicity from TAF/FTC, which is unusual but not impossible. I switched to Juluca, which is an NRTI-sparing regimen, and have not had any of the above symptoms."

• Bab...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 12, 2019

"Was diagnosed in Oct 2018. CD4 was 0, viral load unknown. One month after taking it, viral load was 67,700, CD4 was 50. Two months after starting it, viral load 25 (undetectable) and CD4 283. No side effects at all. I haven't felt this well in years."