Precautions

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

It is very important that your doctor check your or your child's progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

You should not use this medicine together with dofetilide (Tikosyn®). Using these medicines together may cause serious or life-threatening side effects.

It is important to tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant before using this medicine. Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. If you are a woman who can get pregnant, your doctor may do tests to make sure you are not pregnant before starting treatment. Do not use this medicine during the first part of your pregnancy unless your doctor tells you to. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant.

Serious skin and allergic reactions may occur while taking this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have a severe rash or rash with fever, blistering or peeling skin, joint or muscle pain, sores in the mouth, swelling of the face, trouble breathing, unusual tiredness or weakness, or yellow eyes or skin.

Check with your doctor right away if you have pain or tenderness in the upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, unusual tiredness or weakness, or yellow eyes or skin. These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem.

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

This medicine will not keep you from giving HIV to your partner during sex. Make sure you understand this and practice safe sex, even if your partner also has HIV, by using a latex condom or other barrier method. This medicine will also not keep you from giving HIV to other people if they are exposed to your blood. Do not re-use or share needles with anyone.

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