HIV meds and Stroke patients

[jennrn76]

okay i was not sure where to post this question but i thought i would start here. does anyone know why the dr's would stop giving hiv meds (truvada and another one that begins with an s, in case that matters) to a patient admitted with a stroke. the patient is stable and has definitely stroked with dysphagia and right sided weakness being the only residual at this time,they were started on lovenox and asa but all hiv meds were stopped for the time being. they had been diagnosed and began taking the hiv meds approximately 1 year prior to admittance. i am not very familar with hiv meds and i thought someone out there could shed some light on this subject. thanks~

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

Ischemic stroke? I'll take a stab and say that some of the HIV meds are known to elevate lipid levels, so maybe that's what they're trying to avoid. Good question - will be interesting to see if there are other theories.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

HIV and stroke:

http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic456.htm

Aptivus/ritonavir may increase the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) – bleeding in the brain due to ruptured blood vessels in the head – that can lead to stroke or death. Aptivus/ritonavir should be used be used with caution in patients who may have other risk factors for excessive bleeding from trauma, surgery or other medical conditions, or who are receiving medications known to increase the risk of bleeding (e.g., anticoagulants or antiplatelets used to prevent or treat heart attacks).

http://www.aidsmeds.com/drugs/Aptivus.htm