People living with HIV have lamented about the extreme side effects of Tenofovir Lamivudine Dolutegravir (TLD) that are being administered to PLHIV in Nigeria.
Staging a drama to illustrate the side effects of TLD, PLHIV listed the extreme side effects as inconsistent (high or low) libido, constant headache or migraine, malaria, chronic arthritis, mental health issues, overfeeding, obesity among others.
The PLHIV shared their experiences about the side effects during the CSO Accountability Forum organized by Peer Review Forum in Abuja.
While speaking with BONews Service, Lucy Attah Enya, the National Coordinator of Society for Women and Children Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (SOWCHAN) explained that the switching of drugs for PLHIV has been affecting them.
She said, “before now, there are usually assessment, survey or tests for individuals before switching a patient to any drug, but now, we’re placed on new drugs without any test and we’re coming down with various side effects.”
She urged the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PERPFAR) and Ministry of Health to take urgent actions to address the experiences of PLHIV with the TLD.
Enya noted that, “We’re not condemning TLD in totality, but we’re concerned that the side effects are too much and this should be reconsidered.”
Sharing her experience, Toyin Chibuzor (pseudonym) explained that, “I was doing perfectly well with combipack (an ART) before I was suddenly switched to TLD which has been affecting me terribly.”
Chibuzor mentioned that people are being forced to take TLD because it reduces viral loads within 20 days and it makes a positive person to be unable to transmit the virus, but noted that it is causing so many health challenges.
She said, “there are people who have diabetes because of TLD and I don’t think it is appropriate to be solving one disease and causing another.”
Chibuzor who mentioned that TLD has aggravated her mental health condition lamented that while HIV drugs are free, mental health drugs are not free and she is suffering from mental health issues because of the HIV medication she’s taking.
Responding to the experiences shared, Williiams Eigege, a pharmacist with Clinton Health Access Initiative, CHAI, explained that every drug has its side effects but the benefits must outweigh the side effects.
Eigege explained that, before new drugs are introduced, surveys are conducted to understand possible side effects and acceptability among patients.
He noted that, “one major thing that needs to be done is to have more sample sites to get a wider experience before introducing new drugs for patients. But, in all of these, the actions of the government are in the interest of the patients…”
He urged PLHIV to report the side effects to facilities providing HIV treatment and such reports would be documented and transmitted to the Ministry of Health and NAFDAC, for actions.
He also tasked PLHIV who have been affected by side effects to explore alternatives that are available and also noted that “some locations might not have these alternatives but there are alternatives to TLD and no one would force you to take any particular medication.”