Retrovir (100 mg, 300 mg)
Retrovir is the brand name for the famous drug Zidovudine. Zidovudine is a antiretroviral medicine. It is also known as azidothymidine (azt). This is a very essential medicine to treat HIV infections. It belongs to NRTI class that is nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor.
Mechanism of Action
What HIV does is decrease the immunity of the person and by that the patient can no longer fight any disease or disorder. Zidovudin stops the HIV by reverse transcriptase as reverse transcriptase is necessary for the double stranded DNA of HIVs. AZT stops the replication of HIV without tampering the uninfected cell function.
Uses of Retrovir
Retrovir is used mainly to prevent HIV infection by blocking its production. It also helps by blocking the entry of virus to the fetus in pregnant females. It lowers the amount of HIV from the body and builds your immunity back so that you can fight of the diseases. Once HIV struck it can never be cured but this medicine sure helps the patient in controlling it.
Dosage and Administration
This medication comes in tablet form and usually dose is decided by the doctor according to disease and its spread. HIV is a greater risk than any other other disease but if you take precautions and medicines daily it may give you 10-12 years of a healthy life. Take this medicine with or without food with a glass of water. Usually it is taken 2 hours before or after taking a drug named clarithromycin so that the patient doesn’t absorb zidovudine entirely. For pregnant females take this medication 5 times a day and liquid form is available for newborn for 6 hours for 6 weeks so that infection doesn’t persist. Please do not start or stop any medication before consulting doctor.
Side-Effects of Retrovir
- Anaemia
- Hepatotoxicity
- Neutropenia
- Cardiomyopathy
- Myopathy
- Allergic reaction
- Rash
- Hive
- Swelling of lips, throat, and face
- Difficulty in breathing
- Lactic acidosis
- Muscle pain
- Weakness
- Numb
- Tingling sensation
- Cold feeling in arms or legs
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Uneven heart rate
- Chest pain
- Headache
- Constipation
- Loss of appetite
- Dark urine
- Persistence cough
- Fever
- Chills
- Aches
- Cramps
- Yellowing of skin
- Painful urination
- Sore throat
Precaution and Warning
Give your full personal and past history of any surgeries you had or any allergic reaction to any kind of medicines. Also if you already have any liver, kidney, stomach or intestinal diseases please tell your doctor. If you are diabetic please control and check your sugar daily.
Pregnany and Breast-Feeding
As it is safe to take this drug during pregnancy it is recommended for pregnant women. Same goes for breast-feeding. The dosage is recommended by doctor.
Drug Interaction
Some drugs may change the course of another drug if taken together. Therefore please refrain from doing so and consult your doctor before taking any drug.