EFAVIRENZ

(e FAV ir enz) Brand: Sustiva

What is the most significant information I must know about efavirenz?

• Some medicines can interact with efavirenz and must not be used at the same time. Your doctor may need to change your treatment plan if you use any of the next drugs: midazolam, pimozide, St. John's wort, triazolam; or ergot medicine--dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, ergonovine, methylergonovine.

What is efavirenz?

• Efavirenz is an antiviral medicine that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in your body.

• Efavirenz is used to treat HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Efavirenz is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.

• Efavirenz may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking efavirenz?

• You must not use this medicine if you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to efavirenz.

• Some medicines can reason unwanted or dangerous effects when used with efavirenz. Your doctor may need to change your treatment plan if you use any of the next drugs:

· midazolam, pimozide, St. John's wort; or

· ergot medicine--dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, ergonovine, methylergonovine.

• Using any of these medicines while you are taking efavirenz can reason serious medical problems or death.

• To create certain efavirenz is safety for you, speak your doctor if you have:

· liver malady (including hepatitis B or C);

· seizures or epilepsy;

· a history of mental diseases, injection drug use, or taking an anti-psychotic medication;

· tall cholesterol or triglycerides; or

· if you have ever taken delavirdine (Rescriptor) or nevirapine (Viramune) and they were not effective in treating your condition.

• FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use efavirenz if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use two forms of birth control, including a barrier form (such as a condom or diaphragm with spermicide gel) while you are taking efavirenz, and for at least 12 weeks after your treatment ends. Speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

• HIV can be passed to the child if the mother is not properly treated during pregnancy. Take all of your HIV medicines as directed to control your infection while you are pregnant.

• Women with HIV or AIDS must not breast-feed a child. Even if your child is born without HIV, the virus may be passed to the child in your breast milk.

How must I take efavirenz?

• Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medication in larger or less amounts or for longer than recommended.

• Take efavirenz on an empty stomach at bedtime, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

• While using efavirenz, you may need frequent blood tests.

• HIV/AIDS is generally treated with a combination of drugs. Do not take efavirenz as your only HIV medication. Your malady may become resistant to efavirenz if you do not take it in combination with another HIV medicines your doctor has predesigned. Do not change your doses or medicine schedule without advice from your doctor. Each face with HIV or AIDS must stay under the care of a doctor.

• Take efavirenz regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescriptions refilled till you run out of medication completely.

• This medication can reason you to have a false positive drug screening test. If you provide a urine sample for drug screening, speak the laboratory staff that you are taking efavirenz.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What must I avoid while taking efavirenz?

• Efavirenz may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert.

• Drinking alcohol can magnify determined side effects of efavirenz.

• Taking this medicine will not prevent you from passing HIV to another people. Do not have unprotected sex or share razors or toothbrushes. Conversation with your doctor about safety ways to prevent HIV transmission during sex. Sharing drug or medication needles is never safety, even for a healthy person.

What are the possible side effects of efavirenz?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have:

· nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or

· severe skin reaction -- fever, sore throat, swelling in your person or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the person or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

• Efavirenz may reason serious psychiatric symptoms including confusion, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, aggression, extreme fear, hallucinations, or unusual behavior. Contact your doctor at once if you have any of these side effects, even if you have had them before.

• Efavirenz may magnify your risk of determined infections or autoimmune disorders by changing the way your immune system works. Symptoms may occur weeks or months after you start treatment with efavirenz. Speak your doctor if you have:

· signs of a new infection--fever, night sweats, swollen glands, mouth sores, diarrhea, stomach pain, weight loss;

· chest pain (especially when you breathe), dry cough, wheezing, feeling short of breath;

· cool sores, sores on your genital or anal area;

· rapid heart course, feeling anxious or irritable, weakness or prickly feeling, problems with balance or eye movement;

· trouble speaking or swallowing, severe lower back pain, loss of bladder or bowel control; or

· swelling in your neck or throat (enlarged thyroid), menstrual changes, impotence, loss of interest in sex.

• General side effects may include:

· mild nausea, vomiting;

· dizziness, drowsiness, trouble concentrating;

· mild skin rash;

· headache, weary feeling;

· sleep problems (insomnia), strange dreams; or

· changes in the shape or location of body thick (especially in your arms, legs, person, neck, breasts, and waist).

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect efavirenz?

• Do not take efavirenz together with Atripla (combination efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir), unless your doctor tells to.

• Another drugs may interact with efavirenz, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal commodity. Speak every of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medication you start or stop using.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about efavirenz.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.