Phenny Awiti, a mother of two is living with HIV and always share her journey creating awareness about the disease. She has revealed that when she was diagnosed with HIV/AIDs in 2008, she was warned of the side effects of taking ARVs. ”When I started taking ARVs in 2008, I was warned that there are parts of my body that would either be fatter or experience some fat reduction. Mostly, my boobs grew bigger, my tummy was big, I had to just workout to reduce and maintain them, but still I have some fat on my tummy that I am okay with. I also experienced something so weird, I was so hippy, but my hips and butts were no more.
It’s like they were slashed!’
Now, I had to move on past all of these effects! Because they will to be there forever. Fortunately for me, I had one mark that stayed forever; the shape of my legs! I have hidden my legs for far too long and just decided to give a middle finger to the world and let them breathe. I have been hiding my legs for nine solid years, I began showing some of it last year,’ she wrote in part.
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The common side effects are; appetite loss, Lipodystrophy which is a condition that causes people to lose or gain fat in certain body areas,this may make some people feel self-conscious or anxious, diarrhea, fatigue, higher than normal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, mood changes, depression, and anxiety, nausea and vomiting, rash and trouble sleeping.
However, Awiti explains; ”It is so important for people to know that the type of ARVs that used to cause this was majorly Stavudine, which people fought for it to be banned because this drug was causing more harm than good health wise. Some people have the said fats accumulate at their back, right beneath their neck. It was terrible, and the only process that made it easier to get rid of this condition was some minor surgeries, which some people never afforded.
We have people undergoing kidney issues to date! Because of this type of combination. It is so important for you to know that stavudine caused more harm than good for people living with HIV.”
She has advised those still using the older version of ARVs to go for the new ones to minimize the side effects.