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NAME
Nevirapine |
BRAND
Viramune |
CLASS
Non-nucleoside analog (also called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, NRTI or non-nuke) |
COST
$3,826/yr., $319/month |
STANDARD DOSE
One 200 mg tablet daily for two weeks then full dose of one 200 mg twice daily from then on, with or without food. (If rash occurs in first two weeks, continue on one tablet a day until rash goes away before going on full dose) liquid formulation has pleasant taste. Take missed dose as soon as possible, but do not double the dose. |
POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS
Rash, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Abnormal liver function tests, including the development of hepatitis. May need to stop taking nevripine until liver function returns to normal. Permanently discontinue if abnormalities return. Severe life-threatening skin reactions and hepatoxicity (liver damage) including fatal cases of each have occurred. Symptoms of severe rash may include fever, blistering, oral lesions, conjunctivitis (pink eye, which if untreated may resulting permanent loss of vision) swelling, muscle or joint aches or general malaise (feeling unwell, as with a flu) stop taking and seek medical attention. Do not increase dose if rash develops during dose escalation or if you develop any rash accompanied by the above listed conditions. Small studies found that 40-50 mg prednisone during induction period can lessen the risk. (people with hypertentision or diabetes were not allowed to take predisone. Granulcytopenia (the loss of a specific type of white blood cells) is more common in children than adults. |
POTENTIAL DRUG INTERACTIONS
May cause methadone withdrawal. Viramune reduces levels of protease inhibitors and they should not be taken at the same time or the doses must be increase. Crixivan should be increased to 1,000 mg every eight hours. Kaletra should be increased to four capsules twice a day. Viramune interacts with rifampin requiring dose adjustments, but none with Mycobutin (rifabutin) they effectiveness of birth control pills may be decreased, use alternate contraception. |
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