HIV (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a slowly progressing infectious disease characterized by immune system disorder and various clinical symptoms. For today, HIV occupies a special place in medicine. HIV is one of the most dangerous diseases which not only breaks lives of people, but also carries them away. The fight against HIV continues many years and during these years the scientists around the world have been trying to find a drug to overcome this disease. Unfortunately, the medication which will definitively relieve people from HIV infection has not been designed yet, but progressive medicine has developed medications inhibiting infection growth in the organism that helps to prolong the life of the patients. One of these medications is Truvada.

Truvada designed by pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences was released at the drug market in 2004 after approval by the Food and Drug Administration of the USA. Truvada has been investigated for a long time during clinical researches which have revealed positive and negative properties of the drug. They have proved that Truvada is safe and a drastic medication which can help to fight against HIV. Certainly, this remedy cannot overcome a virus and will not cure but inhibits disease development.

Let us provide more detailed information about this drug.

Truvada is the medication containing two drugs used as a part of anti-retroviral therapy: tenofovir (Viread) and emtricitabine (Emtrive). Due to combination of two drugs Truvada efficacy is increased. It enables this drug to fight more intensively against virus. The drugs contained in Truvada are nucleoside inhibitors of reverse transcriptase, or nucleosides. These medications block enzymes of reverse transcriptase. These enzymes change genetic material of HIV (RNA) into DNA form. Drug works by prevention and inhibiting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from reproduction in the body. Truvada reduces HIV in blood (virus load). It stimulates immune system recovery, and increases number of lymphocyte CD4-cells.

However, there is no any certain time frame for drug use. The anti-retroviral therapy can be started any time, depending on disease progression. Your doctor should examine you and he will indicate the drug for you if required. First, you should undergo all required tests, then he will define if you need to use the drug and possible response to the therapy. After all tests and analyses the special treatment course and drug dosage will be prescribed for you individually. You have to strictly follow the prescription during the whole treatment course. The dose and the prescription are indicated individually to every patient as clinical courses different. Truvada can be used as independent drug or can be used with other anti-retroviral remedies. For example, combination of Truvada and efavirenz (Sustiva) is very successful and it is used in Atripla.

Truvada is taken orally, in the form of pills. A standard dosage for adults is one pill once a day. Every pill contains 300mg of tenofovir (Viread) and 200mg of emtricitabine (Emtrive). Drug once-a-day use is enough to maintain drug effect, without body burden. Truvada is recommended during a meal or between meals. If you have liver disorder, the drug should be taken in lower dose. The drug is not recommended for children under 18 years.

If you discuss with the doctor the course of drug use, study all contraindications. Consideration of contraindications will help to prevent side-effects and not to disturb the treatment. Interacting with other drugs, Truvada effect may be lowered. Inform the doctor about all drugs you are taking. The drug is not recommended if you have a history of hepatitis, hepatic failure, epilepsy, osteopenia, mental diseases, and hypersensitivity to any drug component. Alcohol will harm the treatment and may cause side-effects.

Side-effects are not new phenomena for medication use. During clinical investigations of Truvada certain adverse reactions have been revealed. Visit the doctor if you have any of the following side-effects during Truvada use: nausea, vomiting, muscles pains, weaknesses. These reactions can be symptoms of acid accumulation in blood (lactic acidosis) which is a very serious contraindication. The most widespread side-effects are diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, headache, weariness, sleep disorders, itching, and depression. Therefore if you observe any symptom of the said side-effects, visit the doctor, probably, it is necessary to adjust a dose or a period of drug use.