Abacavir, Lamivudine, and Zidovudine (Systemic)

Brand Names : Trizivir

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to abacavir, lamivudine, or zidovudine. This medicine should not be taken if you have ever had an allergic reaction to it or to abacavir, because it could cause another severe reaction that may result in death. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination has not been studied in pregnant women. However, abacavir has been found to cause birth defects and other problems in animals at doses many times the human dose, and zidovudine has been studied in animals and causes birth defects when given in very high doses. Before taking this abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding - Zidovudine passes into human breast milk. It is not known whether abacavir or lamivudine passes into human breast milk. However, if your baby does not already have the AIDS virus, there is a chance that you could pass it to your baby by breast-feeding. Talk to your doctor first if you are thinking about breast-feeding your baby.

Children - Abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination contains a fixed amount of each medicine that cannot be decreased. Therefore, this medicine is not recommended for patients who weigh less than 40 kilograms (88 pounds) because the amounts of abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine in this product cannot be adjusted for smaller body sizes.

Adolescents - Abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination contains a fixed amount of each medicine that cannot be decreased. Therefore, this medicine is not recommended for patients who weigh less than 40 kilograms (88 pounds) because the amounts of abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine in this product cannot be adjusted for smaller body sizes.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Amphotericin B by injection (e.g., Fungizone) or
• Antineoplastics (cancer medicine) or
• Azathioprine (e.g., Imuran) or
• Chloramphenicol (e.g., Chloromycetin) or
• Clozapine (e.g., Clozaril) or
• Colchicine or
• Didanosine (e.g., Videx) or
• Eflornithine (e.g., Ornidyl) or
• Flucytosine (e.g., Ancobon) or
• Ganciclovir (e.g., Cytovene) or
• Interferon (e.g., Intron A, Roferon-A) - Using any of these medicines with the combination medicine may cause blood problems to become worse

• Abacavir (e.g., Ziagen) or
• Lamivudine (e.g., Epivir) or
• Zidovudine (e.g., Retrovir) - Using additional abacavir, lamivudine, or zidovudine with the combination medicine may increase the chance of side effects of abacavir, lamivudine, or zidovudine

• Doxorubicin (e.g., Adriamycin) or
• Ribavirin (e.g., Virazole) or
• Stavudine (e.g., Zerit) - Use of these medicines with abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination may result in these medicines or the combination not working as well as they should

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Blood problems, including anemia and decreased bone marrow production - Abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine combination may make these conditions worse

• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease - Patients with kidney or liver disease may have more side effects