 ANTIVIRAL LIST WINTER 1999
| Nucleosides | NNRTIs (non-nukes) | Protease Inhibitors | Other |
| AZT [Retrovir] | Nevirapine [Viramune] | Saquinavir [Invirase] or Fortovase (same drug, better absorption) | Hydroxyurea (anti-cancer drug used with ddI) |
| Epivir [3TC] | Delavirdine [Rescriptor] | Crixivan [Indinavir] | Preveon [adefovir] (nucleotide, strong kidney side effects, available through expanded access) |
| Combivir (combination of AZT & 3TC) | Sustiva [efavirenz] | ritonavir [Norvir] | |
| Hivid [ddC] | Viracept [Nelfinavir] | Zerit [d4T] | Agenerase [amprenavir] |
| Videx [ddI] | | Ziagen [Abacavir] | Coming soon: ABT378 | |
| How do anti-HIV drugs differ from each other? |
How hard they hit HIV - how much can they lower viral load?
Where they hit HIV - at what part of its life cycle?
How long a dose stays active in the blood
What anti-HIV drugs you can take together: namely, what can you mix together to make an anti-HIV combination?
How easily and quickly HIV gets resistant to the drug
What other anti-HIV drugs won't work if you develop resistance to the drug
How long they work with other drugs before resistance starts
Possible immediate and long-term side effects
Ability to cause or worsen diabetes, hepatitis, heart disease or neuropathy
How the drugs mix with other kinds of medications, like Claritin (antihistamines), hypertension meds, anti-depressants, birth control, alcohol, methadone, crack, heroin, etc.
How much they've been studied - how long the trials were, how many people were in them, whether they've been studied in women
| Some things to think about: |
Before you start, or change your anti-virals, check out these questions:
What anti-virals have I taken in the past?
- Is there a reason to think I'm resistant to those drugs?
What anti-virals am I taking now?
- How are they working?
What can I take next?
- What drugs are ruled out by the combo I'm thinking of starting?
What other medications does this combination interact with?
- What about TB meds or Prozac or birth control or sleeping pills?
What else is going on with my health?
- How are my liver and kidneys? How do these drugs work with asthma or diabetes?
What's the schedule for this combination?
- How many pills? How often? With or without food?
Can I really stand to take all these pills every day?
- Who can support me with this schedule?
If side effects happen, what can I do?
- Do I know what to expect? What if something unexpected happens?
See also: How do I choose what drugs to take? | Protease at-a-Glance - 1999
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last modified: 5/10/99
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