Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Recommended HIV Treatment Regimens



Recommended HIV Treatment Regimens



Recommended HIV Treatment Regimens
What is the treatment for HIV?
Antiretroviral therapy (ART)
is the recommended
treatment for HIV. ART involves taking a combination of
anti-HIV medications (a
regimen
) every day. Anti-HIV
medications (also called
antiretrovirals
) are grouped into six
drug classes
according to how they ght HIV. e six classes
are non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
(NNRTIs), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
(NRTIs), protease inhibitors (PIs), fusion inhibitors, CCR5
antagonists, and integrase inhibitors.
Recommended HIV treatment regimens include three or
more anti-HIV medications from at least two dierent drug
classes. Taking a combination of anti-HIV medications from
dierent classes is the most eective way to control the virus.
Some anti-HIV medications are available in combination
(two or more medications in one pill).
Anti-HIV medications are approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). See the
FDA-Approved Anti-
HIV Medications
fact sheet for a complete list of
medications used in HIV treatment regimens in the United
States.
How will I know which anti-HIV medications
to take?
e best combination of anti-HIV medications for you
depends on your individual needs. Factors that you and your
health care provider will consider when selecting your HIV
regimen include:
Other diseases or conditions you may have
Possible side eects of anti-HIV medications
e risk of interactions between anti-HIV medications and
other medications you take
Results of
drug-resistance testing
and other tests
Convenience of the regimen. (For example, a regimen that
involves taking only one pill a day is convenient to follow.)
Any personal issues that can make following a regimen
di

cult (such as depression or alcohol or drug abuse)
What are the recommended regimens for
people taking anti-HIV medications for the
first time?
After considering your individual needs, you and your health
care provider may select one of the following regimens
recommended for people taking anti-HIV medications for
the rst time:
Atripla
(a combination of three anti-HIV medications in
one pill)
Reyataz
+
Norvir
+
Truvada
(Truvada is a combination of
two anti-HIV medications in one pill.)
Prezista
+
Norvir
+
Truvada
Isentress
+
Truvada
Terms Used in This Fact Sheet:
Antiretroviral:
A medication that prevents a retrovirus,
such as HIV, from making copies of itself. Anti-HIV
medications are also called antiretrovirals.
Antiretr
oviral therapy (ART):
The recommended
treatment for HIV. ART involves taking a combination of
three or more anti-HIV medications from at least two
different drug classes every day to control the virus.
A
tripla:
A combination of three anti-HIV medications in
one pill—Sustiva (also called efavirenz or EFV), Emtriva
(also called emtricitabine or FTC), and Viread (also called
tenofovir or TDF).
Drug class:
A group of medications that work in the same
way.
Drug-resistance t
esting:
Testing to identify which anti-HIV
medications will or will not be effective against a
person’s specific strain of HIV. Drug-resistance testing is
done using a sample of blood.
Isentress:
An anti-HIV medication in the integrase
inhibitor class. Isentress is also called raltegravir or RAL.
Nor
vir:
An anti-HIV medication in the protease inhibitor
(PI) class. Norvir is also called ritonavir or RTV.
Prezista:
An anti-HIV medication in the protease inhibitor
(PI) class. Prezista is also called darunavir or DRV.
R
egimen:
A combination of three or more anti-HIV
medications from at least two different drug classes.
Re
yataz:
An anti-HIV medication in the protease inhibitor
(PI) class. Reyataz is also called atazanavir or ATV.
Sustiv
a:
An anti-HIV medication in the non-nucleoside
reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) class. Sustiva is
also called efavirenz or EFV.
Truvada:
Two anti-HIV medications from the nucleoside
reverse transcriptase (NRTI) class—Emtriva and Viread—
combined in a single pill. Emtriva is also called
emtricitabine or FTC. Viread is also called tenofovir or TDF.
This information is based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’
Guidelines for the Use of
Reviewed
Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents
(available at
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines
).
August 2012
HIV and Its Treatment – Recommended HIV Treatment Regimens
Women who are planning on becoming pregnant or are in
the rst trimester of pregnancy should not use Atripla or
Sustiva
. (Sustiva, which is one of the medications in Atripla,
may cause birth defects that develop during the rst few
months of pregnancy.) If you are pregnant or expect to
become pregnant soon, talk to your health care provider
about the benets and risks of taking anti-HIV medications.
(See the
HIV and Pregnancy
fact sheet series for information
on HIV treatment regimens for pregnant women.)
Because individual needs vary, these recommended HIV
treatment regimens may not be right for everyone. If none of
the preferred regimens is right for you, your health care
provider will help you select an alternative regimen based on
your needs.
Will I have side effects from the anti-HIV
medications in my regimen?
Anti-HIV medications can cause side eects. Side eects vary
depending on the anti-HIV medication. And people taking
the same medication may not have the same side eects.
Before starting treatment, discuss possible side eects with
your health care provider or pharmacist.
Most side eects from anti-HIV medications are manageable.
However, side eects that become unbearable or life
threatening call for a change in medications. Side eects that
may seem minor, such as fever, nausea, fatigue, or rash, can
indicate serious problems. Once you start treatment, always
discuss any side eects from your anti-HIV medications with
your health care provider.
Interactions between anti-HIV medications and other
medications can increase the risk of side eects. Drug
interactions can also reduce the eectiveness of anti-HIV
medications. (Anti-HIV medications can also have the same
eect on other medications.) Always tell your health care
provider about other medications you take, including when
you switch or stop taking a medication.
For more information:
Contact an AIDS
info
health information specialist at 1–
800–448–0440 or visit
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov
. See your
health care provider for medical advice.
This information is based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’
Guidelines for the Use of
Reviewed
Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents
(available at

http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines

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HIV and Its Treatment – FDA-Approved Anti-HIV Medications


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