Avoiding Resistance
Being ready to start ARV medications means that you must be ready to stay on treatment as your HCP prescribes. This is called adherence. For anti-HIV medicine to work, it is necessary to maintain a certain level of medicine in your body.
Not adhering to your meds can lead to resistance
If you skip doses or don't take your meds as directed by your doctor, there may not be enough medication in your body to stop HIV from replicating. As a result, your viral load may rise and your CD4 count may go down. It may also become easier for your virus to become resistant to the meds you are taking. That means that they no longer work as well or at all to fight the virus. Not only does this pose a risk to your health, it may limit future drug treatment options for you. The good thing about adhering to your meds is that it gives you a better chance of getting your viral load down to undetectable. To help the medications work best, you should do the following:
- Take every dose of every medication as prescribed (ie, with food, on an empty stomach, etc)
- Take your medications at the right time
- Don't start or stop medications unless directed by your HCP
- Refill your meds before they run out
- Notify your HCP before you begin taking any new medication, whether prescribed, over-the-counter, herbal or otherwise
There are many everyday challenges and situations that can make staying adherent to your HIV medications difficult. Use the list below to identify potential barriers that may prevent you from taking your medications.
- Your daily schedule and activities (family responsibilities, hectic lifestyle, work/school schedule, unstable housing)
- Affordability/access to meds and medical care
- Forgetfulness
- Depression or other mental health issues
- Fear of side effects
Tell your HCP if you don't think you'll be able to take your meds as prescribed. Your doctor, a social worker, or someone from an HIV support group may be able to provide you with suggestions on how to overcome your individual barriers.
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
Please see full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING and Medication Guide, for VIRAMUNE.
