Atripla Side Effects  E-mail

Pronounced (uh TRIP luh)

Generic Name: efavirenz, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

Read the Patient Information that comes with Atripla before you start taking it and each time you get a refill since there may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. You should stay under a healthcare provider's care when taking Atripla. Do not change or stop your medicine without first talking with your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you have any questions about Atripla.

Atripla Safety Information


A condition called lactic acidosis can occur with patients on Atripla.  Also severe hepatomegaly with steatosis has been reported with the use of nucleoside analogues.  Severe flare-ups of hepatitis B have also been reported in patients who discontinue Emtriva or Viread, two components of Atripla.

Atripla Side Effects


Psychiatric Symptoms that can occur:

  • Severe Depression
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Aggressive behavior
  • Paranoia

These symptoms can occur more frequently in patients with a history of injection drug use or psychiatric symptoms.

Nervous System Symptoms that can occur:

  • Dizziness
  • Insomnia
  • Impaired concentration
  • Somnolence
  • Abnormal dreams
  • Hallucinations

These symptoms usually begin during the start of treatment and go away after two to four weeks.

Renal Impairment can occur in patients who already suffer from an underlying systemic or renal disease.  Atripla shouldn’t be given to patients with creatinine clearance below 50ml/min.

Atripla can cause harm to a fetus when it is administered during the first trimester to a pregnant woman.  It is recommended that women should not breastfeed or become pregnant while taking Atripla.

Atripla Contraindications


The following medications can cause serious and life-threatening side effects if taken with Atripla:

  • Hismanol (astemizole)
  • Propulsid (cisapride)
  • Versed (midazolam)
  • Halcion (triazolam)
  • Cafergot, Wigraine and any other ergot medications
  • Combivir
  • Emtriva
  • Epivir
  • Epivir-HBV
  • Epzicom
  • Trizivir
  • Sustiva
  • Truvada
  • Viread
  • Vfend

You should also inform your health care provider if you are taking the following medications, as their dose may need to be changed or the medication itself changed:

  • Fortovase
  • Invirase (saquinavir)
  • Biaxin
  • Crixivan (indinavir)
  • Methadone
  • Mycobutin (rifabutin)
  • Rifampin
  • Lipitor (atorvastatin)
  • Pravachol (pravastatin)
  • Zocor (simvastatin)
  • Videx, Videx EC
  • Reyataz (atazanavir sulfate)
  • Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir)


Medications for seizures like Dilantin and Tegretol may cause adverse reactions so your health care professional may want to switch you to another drugs or check your drug levels periodically.  It is not recommended that you take St. John’s wort with atripla because it could decrease levels of the drug in your blood.

If you would like to know more about Atripla then click on the following link to see Atripla Information. 
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

Save This Page as a del.icio.us bookmark