Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. I've been faithful to my regimen for a year since infection (Trizivir). Never missed a dose, and though I do have side effects, I can seem to deal with most of them at this point in time. My big problem right now seems to be what I guess is water absorption. My mouth is always dry (especially in the mornings), my skin is always dry, and well, my entire body feels dry in general. I do drink plenty of water, but I m guessing that I m not absorbing it. Also, I seem to have very frequent diarrhea.
CD4 was last 680 VL was last undetectable.
Is there anything I can do to fix this? Anything that doesn't involve adding more pills would be nice, but I'll do whatever I have to do.
I would not blame your Trizivir for your dryness. None of the three components of Trizivr - AZT, 3TC, and abacavir - are noted to cause any significant dry mouth or skin.
It is also unlikely that you are dehydrated, even though you are having some diarrhea. Most adults can more that compensate for fluid loss from diarrhea by just drinking more fluids. (The exception would be a major infectious diarrhea with fever and vomiting like dysentery.) Dehydration to the degree that your skin and mucous membranes are dry would noted in your routine lab work by an elevated BUN and/or creatinine.
Most likely the dryness is simply due to HIV, even though your viral load is undetectable. This is because HIV is still present in your body in very small levels. And it is this HIV presence that can trigger a loss of salivary gland production and decreased skin gland production. Unfortunately, there is no way we can stop this effect on glandular output. Nor do we know how to increase the output.
Now there are some non-HIV medical causes for dry skin and mouth. These would include low thyroid or Sjoergren's Syndrome. So be sure to tell your doctor how dry things are.
Practical hints include adding lemon to your food and water.
(Lemon is the strongest stimulant we have for saliva production.)
And then apply moisturizing lotions immediately after shower or
bath will the skin is still slightly moist. (This helps trap
moisture.)
I hope this helps.
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