Taking Antiviral Drugs

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 3TC (Epivir®)

2 (150 mg: 1, 2x/day)

or 1 (300 mg; 1, 1x/day)

No food restrictions.

Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headaches.

Can reverse resistance to AZT.

 Abacavir (Ziagen®)

2 (300 mg: 1, 2x/day)

No food restrictions.

Hypersensitivity reaction in 5% of patients

AZT (Retrovir®)

6

(100 mg: 2, 3x/day) or

2

(300 mg: 1, 2x/day)

 No food restrictions

Anemia, nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, bone

marrow toxicity

Don’t combine with d4T.

Combivir®

2 (150 mg 3TC +

300 mg AZT: 1, 2x/day)

No food restrictions.

See AZT and 3TC above.

Combines AZT and 3TC in a single twice-daily pill.

d4T (Zerit®)

2 (40

mg for people over 60 kg/ 132 lbs; 30 mg if below: 1, 2x/day)

No food restrictions.

Peripheral neuropathy, headache,

chills & fever, diarrhea, nausea.

Don’t combine with AZT.

 ddC (Hivid®)

3 (0.75

mg: 1, 3x/day)

Take on an empty stomach. Don’t take with antacids.

Peripheral neuropathy, rash,

mouth ulcers, sore throat, coughing.

Don’t combine with ddI.

 ddI (Videx®)

ddI (Videx® EC)

4

(100 mg: 2, 2x/day or 4, 1x/day)

Videx EC: 1 pill daily;

400 mg for people over 60 kg/ 132 lbs; 250 mg if below.

Chew or dissolve in water; take on empty stomach; not within

1 hour of indinavir or 2 hours of ritonavir.

Diarrhea, pancreatitis, adbominal pain, neuropathy,

nausea & vomiting.

Don’t combine with ddC.

Tenofovir (Viread®)

1 (300 mg: 1, 1x/day)

Take with a meal. Take 2 hours before, or one hour after ddI.

Mild side effects; some nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite.

Trizivir®

2 (150 mg 3TC +

300 mg AZT + 300 mg abacavir: 1, 2x/day)

No food restrictions.

See AZT, 3TC and abacavir above.

Combines AZT, 3TC and abacavir in a single twice-daily pill.

Delavirdine (Rescriptor®)

12 (100 mg: 4,

3x/day)

No food restrictions. 100 mg pills can be dissolved in water.

Take one hour apart from ddI or antacids.

Skin rash, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, fatigue.

Serious interactions with many other drugs**

 Efavirenz (Sustiva®)

 3 (200 mg:

(600 mg; 1, 1x/day)

No food restrictions, but avoid a high-fat meal. Take before

going to sleep.

Vivid dreams, anxiety, rash, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, headache

and insomnia

Nevirapine (Viramune®)

1 (200

mg; 1, 1x/day for the first two weeks) then 2 (200 mg: 1, 2x/day)

No food restrictions.

Skin rash, fever, headache, nausea.

 Amprenavir (Agenerase®)

16 (150 mg: 8,

2x/day); also approved in combinations with ritonavir

Take with or without food. Avoid high-fat foods. Don’t take within

1 hour of antacids. 

 Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, numbness around mouth,

abdominal pain

Serious interactions with many other drugs.**

 Indinavir (Crixivan®)

 6 (400 mg:

2, every 8 hours, not 3x/day) or 9 (333 mg; 3 every 8 hours)

 Take with lots of water, on empty stomach or with low-fat

snack. Keep cool and dry.

Headache, nausea, abdominal pain, kidney stones.

 Lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra®)

 6 (133 mg

lopinavir + 33 mg ritonavir: 3, 2x/day)

Take with food. Keep at room temperature.

Diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, headache

Nelfinavir (Viracept®)

9 (250 mg: 3, 3x/day)

2x/day

Take with meals or a snack.

Diarrhea, nausea, gas, abdominal pain, weakness.

Ritonavir (Norvir®)

12 (100 mg: 6,

2x/day); small doses used to boost other protease inhibitors

Take with a full meal. Keep refrigerated. Take 2 hours apart

from ddI.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tingling & numbness around the

mouth.

Saquinavir soft gel (Invirase®

and Fortovase®)

Invirase is combined with ritonavir; Fortovase:

mg: 6, 3x/day)

Take with high-fat food. Refrigerate in hot climates.

Minimal nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, fatigue.