GENERIC NAME: ABACAVIR/LAMIVUDINE - ORAL (uh-BACK-uh-veer/lam-EYE-view-deen)

BRAND NAME(S): Epzicom

Warning | Medication Uses | How To Use | Side Effects | Precautions | Drug Interactions | Overdose | Notes | Missed Dose | Storage | Medical Alert

WARNING: This drug can sometimes cause severe (and in some cases, fatal) allergic reactions and problems with the liver and blood acid-base balance (lactic acidosis). If you develop symptoms such as rash, fever, fatigue, difficult or rapid breathing, cough, swelling of the throat, dark urine, yellowing of the skin or eyes, drowsiness, muscle aches, stomach/abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, stop using this medication immediately and notify your doctor. If you think you have had an allergic reaction to this drug, do not start using it again because more severe, life-threatening problems (such as very low blood pressure and death) could occur. Consult your doctor for more details. If this drug is stopped, then you must continue to be closely monitored by your doctor and have your liver function tested for at least several months.

USES: This drug is a combination of two different antivirals, abacavir and lamivudine. It is used in combination with other antivirals drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. They work by slowing the growth of the virus. Abacavir and lamivudine are also called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Antiviral drugs help to control HIV infection thereby improving your quality of life and lowering your risk of developing HIV complications (e.g., opportunistic infections, cancer). However, this drug is not a cure for HIV infection and it does not prevent HIV from passing to others through sexual contact or blood contamination (e.g., sharing dirty needles).