My legs pain at night. What is the cause?
Feb 27, 2007
Dear Doctor, <br><br>I am on anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and take one tablet of nifedipine in the morning because I have high blood pressure. At lunch hour, I take mineral supplements, but I have severe pain in my legs at night and find it difficult to sleep. During the day, it is not so bad. Cou
Dear Doctor,
I am on anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and take one tablet of nifedipine in the morning because I have high blood pressure. At lunch hour, I take mineral supplements, but I have severe pain in my legs at night and find it difficult to sleep. During the day, it is not so bad. Could the pain be related to the drugs? Why is it worse at night? What can I do?
- Musa
Dear Musa,
Pain in the legs and feet is usually caused by inflammation of the nerves, which is called peripheral neuropathy. Because HIV affects the nerves, this can cause the pain. However, drugs such as isoniazide and some ARVs like stavudine or zerit, which are contained in drug combinations like triomune can be the cause.
It is also important to test for diabetes, which can also cause peripheral neuropathy. It is important to check for these conditions before one starts on ARVs.
If someone has peripheral neuropathy before starting on anti retroviral treatment, it is important that drugs like stavudine are not included in the ARVs they are given.
It is important that you discuss with your doctors and first establish what the cause of the problem could be. If the problem is drug-induced, removing the offending drug might solve the problem.
If the pain is HIV-induced, it might take time to heal, but eventually it may go as you continue taking ARVs. We, sometimes, give drugs like amitriyptyline, which is an antidepressant for this kind of pain due to the damage done to nerves. Massaging with some oils also known as aromatherapy can be helpful.
As to why the pain is worse at night, it may be because you relax and rest at night and are thus more able to sense the pain then than during day when you are too busy and unable to think much about it.
------------------------------------
Can soda alter an HIV test?
Dear Doctor,
At college we used to discuss people living with AIDS and my friend claimed that if someone living with HIV goes for a check up after taking some pain killers or soda with a lot of gas, the virus cannot be detected. Is this true? They added that it is only when the blood is kept for some time that the virus can be detected. Is this true?
- J.K.
Dear J.K,
There are many things that can be said about HIV. Some are myths, which cannot be investigated and proved, while others are facts based on scientific research. The effects mentioned here are myths.
When HIV attacks the body, the body responds by producing antibodies against the virus and it is these antibodies that we look for when doing an HIV test. Even in cases where people are on ARVs and have a high CD4 count or when the viral load is undetectable , these antibodies can still be detected in the blood.
On the issue of blood being kept for some time before screening, it makes no sense because the common HIV tests are antibody-based and we do not look for the virus in the blood. So the test is not affected by the presence of drugs in the blood.
Send your question on HIV to Health Editor, The New Vision. P. O. Box 9815, Kampala or
health&beauty@newvision.co.ug
I am on anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and take one tablet of nifedipine in the morning because I have high blood pressure. At lunch hour, I take mineral supplements, but I have severe pain in my legs at night and find it difficult to sleep. During the day, it is not so bad. Could the pain be related to the drugs? Why is it worse at night? What can I do?
- Musa
Dear Musa,
Pain in the legs and feet is usually caused by inflammation of the nerves, which is called peripheral neuropathy. Because HIV affects the nerves, this can cause the pain. However, drugs such as isoniazide and some ARVs like stavudine or zerit, which are contained in drug combinations like triomune can be the cause.
It is also important to test for diabetes, which can also cause peripheral neuropathy. It is important to check for these conditions before one starts on ARVs.
If someone has peripheral neuropathy before starting on anti retroviral treatment, it is important that drugs like stavudine are not included in the ARVs they are given.
It is important that you discuss with your doctors and first establish what the cause of the problem could be. If the problem is drug-induced, removing the offending drug might solve the problem.
If the pain is HIV-induced, it might take time to heal, but eventually it may go as you continue taking ARVs. We, sometimes, give drugs like amitriyptyline, which is an antidepressant for this kind of pain due to the damage done to nerves. Massaging with some oils also known as aromatherapy can be helpful.
As to why the pain is worse at night, it may be because you relax and rest at night and are thus more able to sense the pain then than during day when you are too busy and unable to think much about it.
------------------------------------
Can soda alter an HIV test?
Dear Doctor,
At college we used to discuss people living with AIDS and my friend claimed that if someone living with HIV goes for a check up after taking some pain killers or soda with a lot of gas, the virus cannot be detected. Is this true? They added that it is only when the blood is kept for some time that the virus can be detected. Is this true?
- J.K.
Dear J.K,
There are many things that can be said about HIV. Some are myths, which cannot be investigated and proved, while others are facts based on scientific research. The effects mentioned here are myths.
When HIV attacks the body, the body responds by producing antibodies against the virus and it is these antibodies that we look for when doing an HIV test. Even in cases where people are on ARVs and have a high CD4 count or when the viral load is undetectable , these antibodies can still be detected in the blood.
On the issue of blood being kept for some time before screening, it makes no sense because the common HIV tests are antibody-based and we do not look for the virus in the blood. So the test is not affected by the presence of drugs in the blood.
Send your question on HIV to Health Editor, The New Vision. P. O. Box 9815, Kampala or
health&beauty@newvision.co.ug