Will my weight change after starting ART?
I had been loosing weight since a year and got positive report last week.
I have lost 20 kg. Will i be normal weight after starting ART. My doctor have not started it yet.
Hi
. Please know that people in this community understand the stress of receiving a diagnosis. It is good that you have sought out a place for support and information. Concerning weight, I want to share with you this article from our editorial team on "Weight Gain and HIV Treatment:" https://h-i-v.net/clinical/weight-gain. It notes that "Weight gain can be a positive result of beginning treatment, especially for those who lost a lot of weight from HIV. Scientists call this a "return to health" effect." Of course, every case is different, but regaining lost weight is certainly a possibility. I also want to share with you this page which collected some of our top articles for the newly diagnosed: https://h-i-v.net/newly-diagnosed. I hope this information is helpful and please feel free, if you like, to keep us posted on how you are doing and to ask questions - this community is here for you. Best, Richard (Team Member) 
Yes, added weight. Long term and anti-virals. I have the neck hump from one of the older drugs.
Hi
. Did the buffalo hump dissipate at all after you changed medications? Also do you find that it causes any neck problems? If so there are some treatments for it (see: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/buffalo-hump). Best, Richard (Team Member)
No. Once you have the hump, you have the hump. Losing weight will take it down a bit, but it never seems to go away. Neck problems; it's like a built in ice pack, always cold, although it doesn't seem to bother me more than that. More a body image issue. Shirts don't fit right. I already have 3 chins (also had that weird hard "belly" fat fill in under my jaw bones, really weird. You should have seen my ENT dr. screw up his face when reading the biopsy report. At least it's not dangerous like the belly kind!) No treatments. Also got an overgrowth of masseter muscle on the side of my face. Plastic surgery on those isn't good, it seems to nick the facial nerve & then you have more problems than you started with. The masseter thing, very rare. When the dr researched it, it's like me and 3 people in Africa. It also seems impossible to just lose weight in general. I already take 14 medications daily, not sure if I should try the GLP1 route. Body image and aging blows regardless. Joy of joys!
Hi
. I just want to share that there is research finding that GLP-1s can be of benefit for those with HIV (see here for example: https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/patients-with-hiv-infection-may-benefit-from-glp-1-receptor-agonists). Of course, you would need to check with your doctors that it would not interfere with any of your other conditions or treatments. Plus, it is completely understandable that you are hesitant to add another medication, but I wanted to share the information. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Thanks for the link, I printed it off.
