Brand name: Combivir

Class: nucleoside analog (also called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, NRTI or nuke)

Standard dose: One tablet (150 mg lamivudine, 3TC, Epivir, 300 mg zidovudine, AZT, Retrovir), twice-a-day, with no food restrictions (may be taken with or without food). Take missed dose as soon as possible, but do not double up on your next dose.

AWP: $718.85 / month

Manufacturer contact: GlaxoSmithKline, www.combivir.com, 1 (800) 722–9294

AIDS Treatment Information Service: 1 (800) HIV–0440 (448–0440)

Potential side effects and toxicity: May be taken with food to decrease potential nausea associated with AZT. See drug pages for lamivudine, 3TC (Epivir) and zidovudine, AZT (Retrovir) for more details.

Potential drug interactions: See lamivudine, 3TC (Epivir) and zidovudine, AZT (Retrovir). Do not take Retrovir or Epivir while taking Combivir since these medications are already in Combivir.

Tips: Combivir has proven to be the best dual-nucleoside backbone studied and is the preferred nucleoside combination to take in both U.S. HIV treatment guidelines as well as those of the International AIDS Society-USA. It is the combination of lamivudine, 3TC (Epivir) and zidovudine, AZT (Retrovir) into one pill; see the pages of those individual drugs for more information. The AZT in Combivir can cause fatigue and anemia—it ain’t pretty in those at risk for developing anemias (see Retrovir). But Combivir is still the most proven dual-nuke combo and every doctor out there should be comfortable with managing its side effects. Combivir brings with it one of the “T” drugs, or thymidine analogs (AZT and Zerit)—some clinicians are avoiding those when possible because of implication in lipoatrophy. If you are on it though, don’t worry—Combivir is still an effective combination.