Precautions

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits, especially during the first few weeks that you take this medicine, to make sure this medicine is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for any unwanted effects.

This medicine should not be used together with alfuzosin (Uroxatral®), carbamazepine (Tegretol®), dronedarone (Multaq®), elbasvir/grazoprevir (Zepatier®), ivabradine (Corlaonor®), lomitapide (Juxtapid®), lovastatin (Mevacor®), lurasidone (Latuda®), midazolam (Versed®), naloxegol (Movantik®, Moventig®), phenobarbital (Luminal®), phenytoin (Dilantin®), pimozide (Orap®), ranolazine (Ranexa®), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rimactane®), sildenafil (Revatio®), simvastatin (Zocor®), St. John's wort, triazolam (Halcion®), or ergot medicines (eg, dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, methylergonovine, Cafergot®, Ergomar®, Wigraine®). Do not use this medicine together with colchicine (Colcrys®) if you have kidney or liver disease.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Birth control pills may not work as well to prevent pregnancy when used with this medicine. Use another form of birth control (eg, condoms, spermicide) along with your pills to keep from getting pregnant during treatment with this medicine. If you think you have become pregnant while using this medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Serious skin reactions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome) can occur with this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chills, cough, diarrhea, itching, joint or muscle pain, red irritated eyes, red skin lesions, often with a purple center, skin rash, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Your immune system may get stronger when you start taking HIV medicines. Tell your doctor right away if you notice any changes in your health. Sometimes the immune system will start to fight infections that were hidden in your body, such as pneumonia, herpes, or tuberculosis. Autoimmune disorders (eg, Graves' disease, polymyositis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome) may also occur.

A decrease in frequency or amount of urine, an increase in blood pressure, increased thirst, loss of appetite, lower back or side pain, nausea, swelling of the face, fingers, or lower legs, trouble breathing, unusual tiredness or weakness, vomiting, or weight gain. These could be symptoms of a serious kidney problem.

Two rare but serious reactions to this medicine are lactic acidosis (too much acid in the blood) and liver toxicity. These reactions are more common if you are female, obese, or have been taking anti-HIV medicines for a long time. Call your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, muscle cramping or pain, stomach pain, unusual tiredness or weakness, trouble breathing, or yellow skin or eyes.

This medicine may increase blood sugar levels. Check with your doctor if you notice a change in the results of your blood or urine sugar tests.

This medicine may cause you to have excess body fat. Tell your doctor if you notice changes in your body shape, such as an increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck, or around the chest and stomach area. You might also lose fat from the legs, arms, and face.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or non-prescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal (eg, St John's wort) or vitamin supplements.