Each Truvada capsule contains 200 mg of emtricitabine, and 300 mg of tenofovir. Standard dose is one capsule a day.

Evaluaton: Combination drugs are tremendously popular in the HIV community because they reduce the pill burden associated with the standard three-drug HIV cocktail. Truvada is a welcome addition to this category. Though is has only been on the market a short while, the drugs it contains—Emtriva (emtricitabine) and Viread (tenofovir)—have already won the coveted “preferred” recommendation of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) panel of experts. The dosing is incredibly convenient: to be able to take two-thirds of your drug regimen in one pill, taken once-a-day, is fantastic.

Each Combivir tablet contains 300 mg of Retrovir (Zidovudine) and 150 mg of Epivir (Lamivudine). Recommended dose is one tablet, twice a day. Combivir can be taken without regard to meals.

Evaluation: Combivir is an awesome tool for reducing the number of pills you have to take. It is not a complete “cocktail”—you need to take at least one other drug with it. But it gives you the chance to take two-thirds of your regimen with just one pill twice a day—a Godsend!

The most recent guidelines from the US Department of Health and Human Services for people just starting HIV treatment list both the ingredients in Combivir as “preferred.” Combivir is an effective and extremely popular HIV medication.

Each Epzicom tablet contains 300 mg of lamivudine and 600 mg of abacavir. Standard dose is one tablet a day.

Evaluation: This new medication combines Epivir (lamivudine) and Ziagen (abacavir) into one easy-to-take tablet. Dosing is incredibly convenient: one tablet once a day.

As with all products containing Ziagen, there is a risk of a hypersensitivity reaction, which may include fever, rash, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. You should not take Epzicom if you have had a hypersensitivity reaction to Ziagen, and you should quit taking it if such a reaction is suspected—it can be fatal. This hypersensitivity reaction occurs in about 5% of the people who use Ziagen.

Trizivir is a combination of three HIV medicines. Each Trizivir tablet contains 300 mg of Retrovir (Zidovudine); 150 mg of Epivir (Lamivudine); and 300 mg of Ziagen (Abacavir). Recommended dose is one tablet, two times a day. Can be taken without regards to meals.

Evaluation: Trizivir was originally designed to be a complete HIV three-drug “cocktail” all wrapped up into one.

However, all three drugs in Trizivir are of the same class: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (also called NRTIs, or just “nukes.”) Current federal guidelines suggest using Trizivir “only when a preferred or alternative NNRTI- or PI-based regimen cannot or should not be used,” because it may not be strong enough to keep your viral load undetectable by itself. Trizivir is increasingly being used along with a protease inhibitor or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor to make a four-drug “cocktail” with a minimum number of pills.

Copyright 2006, Positive Health Publications, Inc.

This information is intended to enhance your relationship with your doctor - not replace it! Medical treatments and products should always be discussed with a licensed physician who has experience treating HIV and AIDS!