harikari.com

This past Saturday a very close friend jumped off the West Seattle Bridge.  He killed himself. He was only 21 years old.

Jesse had suffered his whole life with rapid-cycling bi-polar disorder (aka manic depression).  Three years ago he became infected with HIV after a few months of careless (read: meth-related) unprotected anal sex.

His doctors had postponed starting HIV-treatment because his health seemed pretty “normal” until very recently.  Last month he started treatment.  His doctor prescribed Sustiva, an anti-HIV drug said to do a good job of controlling HIV and increasing T-cell counts when used in combination with other anti-HIV drugs.

However, Sustiva is known to have some very serious side-effects, among which are severe depression and suicide attempts.

I am disgusted that the healthcare system that was supposedly looking out for the best interest of this sweet, unstable, fragile young man prescribed a medicatioin with so many devastating side-effects.  Their careless use of such a dangerous (yes, in this case) drug lead directly to Jesse’s suicide.

Here is the description of side-effects, directly from the website of Sustiva itself:

What are Sustiva’s possible side effects?
Like all anti-HIV drugs, Sustiva has been shown to cause side effects. While some of the side effects, including rashes, are similar to those seen using other NNRTIs, Sustiva appears to cause a number of brain-related side effects not seen with other anti-HIV drugs.

In clinical trials, over half of the patients taking Sustiva reported one or more side effects related to activity of the brain or central nervous system (CNS). These symptoms included dizziness, insomnia, impaired concentration, drowsiness, abnormal/vivid dreams, anxiety, depression, nervousness, and even hallucinations (although very rarely).  Combining Sustiva with recreational drugs, particularly marijuana, can also increase the psychological side effects.

About 2% of people taking Sustiva have more severe psychiatric problems, including severe depression, strange thoughts, or angry behavior. Some patients have thoughts of suicide and a few have actually committed suicide. People with a history of mental illness should be especially careful if they start Sustiva.