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These medications were the first HIV drugs available and are the ones that people are the most familiar with. These medications are usually the easiest to tolerate but are not as effective as some of the other drug families. They are referred to as the backbone of therapy since they are almost always part of the treatment plan.
- AZT also called retrovir and zidovudine.
- Dosing: AZT can be taken as a 100 mg capsule or a 300 mg tablet. It is also available in a liquid form. It is taken 2-4 times per day and can be taken with or without food.
- Side Effects: rare but may include rash, fever, nausea, vomiting, low blood count, diarrhea, and headache.
- Discuss with your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems or if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
- Comments: contact your doctor if you experience rash, fever, chills, weakness, or if you are feeling unusually tired.
- 3TC also called lamivudine or epivir.
- Dosing: Epivir comes as a 150 mg or 300 mg tablet that is light blue in color and is also available as a liquid. It can be given once or twice daily with or without food. The liquid is always given twice a day.
- Side effects: Side effects are very rare with 3TC but can occasionally include headache, nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, or irritation of the body organs including the pancreas and liver which can cause belly and back pain, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes fever. 3TC can also cause an imbalance of the chemicals of the body (a condition called lactic acidosis). Blood tests are used to monitor for these conditions.
- D4T also called stavudine or zerit.
- Dosing: Zerit comes in 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, or 40mg tablets that are red in color. It is also available in a liquid form. It is taken two times per day and can be taken with or without food.
- Side effects: Include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, headache, and tingling or pain of the legs (a condition called peripheral neuropathy). It can irritate the pancreas, liver, and chemical balance of the body as described above.
- Comment: Rarely are patients treated with D4T and AZT together since AZT can reduce the ability of D4T to fight the HIV.
- DDI also called videx or didanosine.
- Dosing: Videx comes as a capsule, chewable tablet or liquid. The pill forms of the medicine are light blue or white in color. It is usually given once or twice a day. The liquid form is always given twice a day. Videx should be taken on an empty stomach, either 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal.
- Side effects: Include nausea, headache, diarrhea, and tingling or pain of the legs. Videx is also one of the medications that frequently irritates the pancreas (causing a condition called pancreatitis), as well as liver irritation and an imbalance of the body chemicals. Please report any side effects to the doctor. Lab tests are used to monitor for these problems and if these side effects occur, it may result in stopping the medication. Videx may also affect the nerves in the eye, causing blurred or colored vision.
- Comment: Children taking videx and stavudine together have a greater chance of having these side effects.
- Abacavir also called ziagen.
- Dosing: Available as a 300 mg tablet which is green in color or as a liquid. It is taken twice a day and may be taken with or without food.
- Side effects: Rash, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, decreased sleep, headache, and tiredness.
- Comments: Taking abacavir can produce a severe allergic reaction. Watch for rash, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, decreased sleep, headache, and tiredness.
- Comments: Taking abacavir can produce a severe allergic reaction. If your child develops a rash, stop the medication immediately and call the doctors office immediately.
- Tenofovir also called viread.
- Dosing: Tenofovir only comes as a tablet form. It is white in color and is usually taken once a day. Tenofovir works best when taken on a full stomach.
- Side effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and gas, some fatigue, feeling jittery, or feeling like you are moving in slow motion.
- Comment: Most side effects improve within 5-7 days after starting the medication.
- Comment: When tenofovir is taken with videx, the patient must be monitored carefully since the level of the videx in the blood may go up and cause increased side effects.
- Trizivir this is a combination of 3 medications all from the same family including abacavir, 3TC, and AZT. All three medications come together in one pill.
- Dosing: Trizivir only comes in tablet form. It is yellowish in color and is given two times per day. It can be taken with or without food and is given to children usually only if they weigh more than 88 pounds.
- Side effects: Rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, decreased appetite, decreased sleep, increased liver enzymes, muscle pain.
- Comments: See above comments on AZT and abacavir.
- Combivir is a combination of AZT and 3TC.
- Dosing: Combivir comes only in tablet form and is only used in children old enough to swallow a tablet and who are big enough to require the dose of each medicine in the combivir tablet. It is white in color and is taken twice a day. Combivir can be taken with or without food.
- Side effects: Include the side effects listed for AZT and 3TC.
- Comment: When taking combivir, patients should be closely monitored if they are also taking other medications, especially gancyclovir, interferon, or zerit.
- Emtriva also known as emcaltricabine.
- Dosing: Emtriva comes only in a capsule form. It is given as one
200 mg capsule per day.
- Side effects: Include headache, diarrhea, nausea, and rash. Lactic acidosis and severe liver dysfunction have been reported but are extremely rare.
- Comment: Emtriva may also be useful in treating patients co-infected with Hepatitis B virus. It is usually not useful in patients that are known to be resistant to epivir.
[Keywords:HIV]
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