Biktarvy and Depression: What Users Say

• Lil...
• October 13, 2019

For HIV Infection "I have been HIV+ since 1999. The Biktarvy introduction was one of the worst I’ve had during my arduous journey. My entire body was in pain, exhausted, my stomach hurt, with no energy. After about 3 weeks, it started to normalize so I continued. I am finishing up my 3rd month of treatment, and things seem worse. I am very active but the pain in my gluteus, legs, and feet are horrible. When I work out, I can’t seem to recover for days. Every morning, my stomach is bloated with dull pain. I have had concerning mental blocks, I am now a med student and need to be able to recall things on demand, so this is causing challenges. Problems sleeping and often wake up in the middle of the night having the “is it worth it” moments. The other thing I have noticed is depression, something I haven’t had since my young 20s. This could all be due to the lack of sleep and the constant pain and frustration, but I just feel off. I hope sharing helps someone else."

• Gen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2019

For HIV Infection "My doctor suggested I try Biktarvy as a replacement for Genvoya since it doesn't have to be taken with food, and I decided to try it. After a couple of days, I had severe fatigue and sweating bad enough that it was difficult to get out of bed. I switched back to Genvoya for a couple of days, and the fatigue went away. I told my doc about this, and he suggested I try Biktarvy again because he said severe fatigue isn't that common and thought it might be something else. I switched back, and the next day the fatigue was back just as bad if not worse than the first time. I was tired, depressed, and lethargic. Yesterday I again switched back to Genvoya, and today I feel normal again. Clearly Biktarvy is a good drug that works for many people, but I'm posting this for anyone having the same side effects so you'll know you aren't alone."

• Ted...
• September 25, 2018

For HIV Infection "30 years HIV+. This Biktarvy is nasty & experimental & a $10 billion dollar bonanza for the company pushing this poison. Here's why... took it for a month. Gave me upper pain in stomach just below rib cage. Gave me nasty smelling severe diarrhea, smelt like traveling behind a vehicle with emergency brakes on while burning oil. That smell made me nauseous. At night time, would get a reflux that was nasty like raw crude oil taste. Very dry mouth, teeth, and tongue. Gave me horrible night and day sweats behind neck, behind knees, armpits, and inner elbows. Gotten extremely dry mouth. Called my doctor, went back to taking good ole Atripla. My gut, heart, 6th sense, guardian angel, and mind tell me Biktarvy is bad juju. Had very dark nightmares and dark depression. Actually awoken up from my dark nightmares... In my opinion, this drug is terrible and scares me to death. Doubt they'll publish this. I'll save in favorites and check back. Very angry my doctor pushed this drug on me. Kickbacks?"

• Tir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 4, 2020

For HIV Infection "Diagnosed in 1988. The lack of sleep is the worst. I wake up multiple (5 - 10x) in a 5-hour span. I am tired constantly, achy, foot pain, lower back pain, nausea, upper abdominal pain, and extremely depressed over how poorly I feel. I called my doc and requested a change of meds. I have lost my eyebrows, losing eyelashes, and hair is thinning. He doesn't believe these issues are caused by the medicine, but I believe it is as the issues didn't happen until after I started Biktarvy."

• Stu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2022

For HIV Infection "Got switched to Biktarvy and was on it for 7 weeks. The first lot of bloods I was U/D still and CD4 up by 70, although I was so tired all the time and with total lack of energy. The pain in my legs made it very uncomfortable to walk. Most alarmingly, though, was the depression (I’ve had before), it was on another level for me: huge feelings of doom, agitation, and anger that were too much for me. So I reached out to the consultant and she switched me to Odefsey. Fingers crossed it will be a better experience."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2021

For HIV Infection "I was recently diagnosed with HIV around March 2021. I started taking Biktarvy with a viral load of 180k and CD4 count of 300. My doctor says I am responding well to treatment, as I am now undetectable, but I have the worst mood swings you can imagine. Constantly up and down. I also have a general feeling of feeling sick all the time and lethargic. I am scared to change medications. The hardest to deal with is the emotional side of it. Struggling with self-harm and depression right now. However, reading other people’s experiences has helped me realize it is not just me with side effects. I feel like I can feel the HIV in me, whereas before I was diagnosed, I felt normal."

• Bab...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 7, 2022

For HIV Infection "I've been HIV positive since September 2000. I have taken many medications since. Of all the medications, Biktarvy has been the least problematic. I had been taking Atripla with some side effects for a number of years when my doctor abruptly switched me to Biktarvy. He literally just blurted out to me that he was switching me to Biktarvy and nervously spoke over me as if trying to avoid any resistance from me. I suffer from severe depression, and I tend to become very self-destructive, but never like this. I wonder if the switch played a role. I haven't taken any HIV meds for well over a year now. That's how self-destructive I've become. I feel Biktarvy did something to my brain, and now I can't feel normal. It's possible it's unrelated, but my doc's odd behavior makes me feel he knew it wouldn't benefit me and probably switched me to get kickbacks from big Pharma. My advice: If it works, don't switch to other meds. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

• Bad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 6, 2021

For HIV Infection "I have been on Biktarvy for over a year. I'm undetectable with a CD4 of 1500, but it's caused me to have severe diarrhea, depression, and muscle loss. My doctor insists everything is normal, but I have tried twice to stop taking Biktarvy, and my body seems to go back to normal for a week. I'm definitely wanting to try something different than Biktarvy, although it helps with the HIV, the side effects are unbearable."

• Han...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 26, 2022

For HIV Infection "I was diagnosed in 2013, not sure really how long I had it before then. Not sure of all the meds I took, but I do recall having to do an ART cocktail which had a fungal infection, which I found is common among low CD4 counts, which was me at the time hovering around 50. I was able to boost it up to 200+. Then one drug change from the three, even though I was not experiencing adverse effects. Truvada was when I started to have side effects from that one drug change: chronic fatigue, blurry memory, confusion, joint pain, acid reflux, skin discoloration, and insomnia. I was told to do Biktarvy because it would affect my kidneys less. I liked the idea of one pill, but to tell you the truth, not worth it for convenience because I started to have depression accompanied by suicidal thoughts. Recently, I have been having sleep paralysis with horrifying vivid dreams, calf cramps, and muscle twitching. I feel let down by my doctor, and I made a change, but no difference. I was told if I miss a dose to take two the next day. What? It clearly says not to do that."

• Ras...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 14, 2022

For HIV Infection "I started on Truvada and Dolutegravir in 2019 when I was first diagnosed with VL 300k and CD4 250. I started getting a rash, mostly on my neck and forehead. Within 3 months, my CD4 was 1k and VL undetectable. Since side effects are manageable, I continued. After a year, my doctor let me switch to Biktarvy for the single dose. The side effects seem similar, but since then, I have put on 20 lb of weight and had one episode of depression. Both are worrying since I have never experienced them in my life (now I am in my late 40s). The doctor assured me that they are not related to the meds but possibly due to a change of lifestyle during the pandemic. I have experimented with morning vs. evening dosing for the past year. It seems that I get a worse rash, dry mouth, oily scalp, joint pain, and less sleep when I take Biktarvy before sleep. If I take it during the day, I am more prone to lethargy but have less side effects. Slightly worrying is that my VL goes up slightly to 50 when I take Biktarvy in the morning. Stay strong, everyone."

• Dot...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 25, 2019

For HIV Infection "Side effects of painful rash, red, nauseous, depression, and aching bones. Maybe it works for someone else."