Trizivir Information  E-mail

What is Trizivir?


Trizivir is an antiviral medication used to treat HIV.  It is in a class of HIV drugs called reverse transcriptase inhibitors.  Trizivir combines three existing HIV drugs together: Ziagen, Epivir and Retrovir to fight HIV infection.  Trizivir is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and was approved by the FDA in 2000.  This drug is usually recommended for patients who have to take all three medications.

How does Trizivir Work?


Trizivir contains three drugs that are known as Nucleoside Analogues, which act to prevent healthy T-cells from getting infected with HIV.  HIV works by infecting a cell and copying its genetic code into the cell, this makes the cell create copies of the virus.  To do this HIV need to use an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA to DNA.  Trizivir contains faulty building blocks used by reverse transcriptase, which prevents the DNA from being created correctly.  This prevents the cells from producing new viruses.

Does Trizivir Cure AIDS?


Trizivir is not a cure for HIV infections or AIDS.  It can however lower the amount of HIV in a person’s blood.  Patients may still get opportunistic infections such as pneumonia, herpes virus and mycobacterium avium complex infections as HIV weakens the immune system.

Is Trizivir Right For you?


A healthcare provider should always be consulted before starting treatment for HIV.  You should not take Trizivir if you are allergic to any of its ingredients.

The active ingredients of Trizivir are:

  • abacavir sulfate
  • lamivudine
  • zidovudine

The inactive ingredients of Trizivir are:


  • Magnesium stearate
  • Microcrystalline cellulose
  • Sodium starch glycolate
  • FD&C Blue No. 2
  • Hypromellose
  • Polyethylene glycol
  • Titanium dioxide
  • Yellow iron oxide

What Should I Discuss With My Healthcare Professional?


Before taking Trizivir, discuss with your doctor if you have:

  • Anemia, decreased bone marrow productions
  • Kidney disease
  • Liver disease
    
Inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, as Trizivir may be harmful to an unborn baby.  It is recommended that HIV positive mothers do not breast-feed their babies as they could pass the virus to them through infected breast milk.

Using Trizivir


It is important to take this medication exactly as your doctor has directed you to.  Do not change the dose or stop taking Trizivir without first talking to your doctor.  Do not miss any doses of this drug as it could increase drug resistance.  If you do miss a dose then take that dose right away unless it is almost time for your next dose.  Then you should just skip the missed dose and take the next dose.

You can click on the link to see Trizivir Side Effects
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

Save This Page as a del.icio.us bookmark