"Doses of efavirenz can be safely reduced in patients who have high blood concentrations of the drug, Dutch investigators report in the October 1st edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Reducing the dose of the drug meant that patients were less likely to discontinue treatment with efavirenz due to side-effects, and reducing the dose of the drug did not increase the risk of viral load becoming detectable.
"Efavirenz (Sustiva, also in the combination pill Atripla) is one of the drugs recommended for first-line antiretroviral treatment. The drug has a potent anti-HIV effect, is easy to take and has a mild side-effect profile.
"However, a proportion of individuals who start treatment with efavirenz report central nervous system side-effects. These can include problems sleeping, vivid dreams, and depression. Although such side-effects are often mild and transient, a small number of patients discontinue treatment with efavirenz because of them. "
Read more in Aidsmap, September 28, 2009.
1 comments:
Thank you for posting those articles, John.
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