Details

Lamivudine is an antiviral medicine that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B virus cells from multiplying in your body. To make sure lamivudine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have liver disease (especially hepatitis B if you are being treated for HIV), or if you had a liver transplant kidney disease a history of pancreatitis or if you have used a medicine similar to lamivudine in the past. Lamivudine should not be given to a child younger than 2 years old.

Typical Uses

Lamivudine is used with other HIV medications to help control HIV infection. It helps to decrease the amount of HIV in your body so your immune system can work better. This lowers your chance of getting HIV complications (such as new infections, cancer) and improves your quality of life. Lamivudine belongs to a class of drugs known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors-NRTI. This medication may also be used in combination with other HIV medications to reduce the risk of getting HIV infection after contact with the virus. Consult your doctor for more details.

Side Effects

Some people develop lactic acidosis while taking lamivudine. Early symptoms may get worse over time and this condition can be fatal. Get emergency medical help if you have even mild symptoms such as muscle pain or weakness numb or cold feeling in your arms and legs trouble breathing feeling dizzy, light-headed, tired, or very weak stomach pain, nausea with vomiting or fast or uneven heart rate.

Drug Interactions

• Lamivudine+bexarotene- Using bexarotene together with lamivudine may increase the risk of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
• Lamivudine+mipomersen- Mipomersen may cause liver problems, and using it with other medications that can also affect the liver such as lamivudine may increase that risk. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol to no more than one drink per day while being treated with these medications.
• Lamivudine+leflunomide- Leflunomide may cause liver problems, and using it with other medications that can also affect the liver such as lamivudine may increase that risk. Because leflunomide can stay in your blood for a prolonged period after the last dose, interactions with other drugs may occur for some time even after you have stopped taking it. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications.
• Lamivudine+teriflunomide- Teriflunomide may cause liver problems, and using it with other medications that can also affect the liver such as lamivudine may increase that risk. Because teriflunomide can stay in your blood for a prolonged period after the last dose, interactions with other drugs may occur for some time even after you have stopped taking it. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications.

Mechanism of action

Lamivudine belongs to a class of medication called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. It decreases the amount of virus (HIV and hepatitis) in the blood. It also increases the number of infection fighting cells in the body (CD4 cells). It does not cure HIV completely but reduces the chances of getting acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HIV related infections or cancer.

Pregnancy Category : C