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Links and Resources

HIV organizations can help

Fighting your HIV at times can feel overwhelming, but support groups and organizations exist that can help educate and guide you. No matter how you may feel, please know that you are not alone. There are many organizations that can help you maintain a positive attitude while you are learning to live with HIV. Some have programs specifically geared toward women living with HIV. These organizations can help educate you about HIV, help you find a doctor, and might possibly be able to help with financial assistance. Some may even offer help with day-to-day activities, such as grocery shopping, picking up your kids at school, or getting to your appointments.

To find an HIV/AIDS support organization in your neighborhood, e-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO to find out what they can do for you.

Helpful Web sites and phone numbers

Need more information about HIV? Don't know what a certain term means? Explore the links below, or go to the Glossary to find definitions.

Listed below are links to Web sites and telephone numbers that provide general information about HIV/AIDS and its treatment, as well as links to specific information on depression, domestic violence, nutrition, substance abuse, and quitting smoking. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. does not endorse all of the ideas stated in these Web sites.

Click on one of the following links:
General HIV/AIDS resources
Nutrition
Quitting smoking
Alcohol and substance abuse
Depression and mental illness
Domestic violence

General HIV/AIDS resources
AIDS Info (US Department of Health and Human Services): 1-800-448-0440; http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Information Hotline: 1-800-CDC-INFO, or 1-800-232-4636; cdcinfo@cdc.gov
National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), Silver Spring, MD: 1-240-247-0880; http://www.napwa.org/
National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC: 1-202-483-6622; http://www.nmac.org/
National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC): 1-510-444-2051; http://www.nnaapc.org/
Project Inform: http://www.projinf.org/
National HIV/AIDS Treatment Infoline: 1-800-822-7422, or 1-415-558-9051 in the San Francisco Bay Area or internationally
Social Security Administration–Benefits for people living with HIV/AIDS; http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10019.html
The Web site "The Body" also has an AIDS Service Organization (ASO) finder available in the "Connect" section of their site;
http://www.thebody.com/connect.html

Nutrition
Nutrition Links and Resources; http://www.hivresources.com/Nutrition.htm.
Web site "The Body: The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource." Diet, Nutrition and HIV; http://www.thebody.com/dietnut.html.

Quitting smoking
American Cancer Society. Guide to Quitting Smoking;
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp.
Smoking Cessation. Quitnet; http://www.quitnet.com

Alcohol and substance abuse
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). What is substance abuse treatment? A booklet for families;
http://kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/WhatIsTx.pdf.
AddictionSearch.com. 24-hour addiction hotline: 1-800-559-9503; http://www.addictionsearch.com.

Depression and mental illness
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Depression: what every woman should know;
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/NIMHdepwomenknows.pdf.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). About mental illness: women and depression;
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/ Depression_in_Women.htm.

Domestic violence
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Intimate partner violence; http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/ipvfacts.htm.

INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

VIRAMUNE is indicated for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV infection.

VIRAMUNE does not cure HIV or AIDS, and has not been shown to reduce the risk of passing HIV to others through sexual contact or blood contamination.

VIRAMUNE can cause severe liver disease and skin reactions that can cause death. These reactions occur most often during the first 18 weeks of treatment, but can occur later. Ask your healthcare provider about how to recognize symptoms of skin and liver problems.

Stop taking VIRAMUNE if you have any of these reactions. Do not restart VIRAMUNE if you experience any of these reactions. Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have any of these reactions.

VIRAMUNE is only for people diagnosed with HIV. If you have not been diagnosed as HIV positive, then do not take VIRAMUNE.

Any patient can experience liver problems with VIRAMUNE, but women and patients who have higher CD4 counts when they begin VIRAMUNE treatment have a greater risk. If you are a woman with CD4+ >250 cells/mm3, or a man with CD4+ >400 cells/mm3, you should not begin taking VIRAMUNE unless you and your doctor have decided that the benefit of doing so outweighs the risk. Women, including pregnant women, with CD4+ cell counts >250 cells/mm3 are at the greatest risk.

Do not take VIRAMUNE if you have severe liver problems.

The dose of VIRAMUNE for adults is one 200-mg tablet daily for the first 14 days, followed by one 200-mg tablet twice daily. VIRAMUNE is always taken with other anti-HIV medications. The 14-day lead-in period is important because it can help reduce your chances of getting a potentially serious skin rash. If you have a skin rash during the first 14 days, immediately contact your doctor and do not increase your VIRAMUNE dose to twice a day. The total duration of the once daily lead-in dosing period should not exceed 28 days, at which point an alternative regimen may need to be started.

Other side effects that patients have experienced include nausea, fatigue, fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and myalgia. Changes in body fat may occur in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. Immune reconstitution syndrome has been reported in patients treated with combination ARV therapy.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

INDICATION AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

VIRAMUNE is indicated for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV infection.

VIRAMUNE does not cure HIV or AIDS, and has not been shown to reduce the risk of passing HIV to others through sexual contact or blood contamination.

VIRAMUNE can cause severe liver disease and skin reactions that can cause death. These reactions occur most often during the first 18 weeks of treatment, but can occur later. Ask your healthcare provider about how to recognize symptoms of skin and liver problems.

Stop taking VIRAMUNE if you have any of these reactions. Do not restart VIRAMUNE if you experience any of these reactions. Call your healthcare provider immediately if you have any of these reactions.

VIRAMUNE is only for people diagnosed with HIV. If you have not been diagnosed as HIV positive, then do not take VIRAMUNE.

Any patient can experience liver problems with VIRAMUNE, but women and patients who have higher CD4 counts when they begin VIRAMUNE treatment have a greater risk. If you are a woman with CD4+ >250 cells/mm3, or a man with CD4+ >400 cells/mm3, you should not begin taking VIRAMUNE unless you and your doctor have decided that the benefit of doing so outweighs the risk. Women, including pregnant women, with CD4+ cell counts >250 cells/mm3 are at the greatest risk.

Do not take VIRAMUNE if you have severe liver problems.

The dose of VIRAMUNE for adults is one 200-mg tablet daily for the first 14 days, followed by one 200-mg tablet twice daily. VIRAMUNE is always taken with other anti-HIV medications. The 14-day lead-in period is important because it can help reduce your chances of getting a potentially serious skin rash. If you have a skin rash during the first 14 days, immediately contact your doctor and do not increase your VIRAMUNE dose to twice a day. The total duration of the once daily lead-in dosing period should not exceed 28 days, at which point an alternative regimen may need to be started.

Other side effects that patients have experienced include nausea, fatigue, fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and myalgia. Changes in body fat may occur in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. Immune reconstitution syndrome has been reported in patients treated with combination ARV therapy.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING and Medication Guide, for VIRAMUNE.