Etravirine, Oral

What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; antiretroviral; anti-HIV

Generic and brand names: etravirine, oral; Intelence

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is taken by mouth along with other medicines to treat HIV infection. This medicine must be taken with other anti-HIV medicines to keep from developing resistant strains of HIV.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had:

• an allergic reaction to any medicine
• liver or kidney disease
• hepatitis B or hepatitis C
• high cholesterol

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I take it?

Check the label on the medicine for directions about your specific dose. Take this medicine exactly as your healthcare provider prescribes. Do not change your dosage on your own. Do not stop taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval. If you are not sure of how much and how often to take this medicine, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to explain.

Take this medicine with other medicines your healthcare provider prescribes. Follow your healthcare provider's instructions exactly.

Do NOT take this medicine on an empty stomach. Take this medicine after a meal. Do not break, crush, or chew the tablets. Swallow them whole. If you are unable to swallow the tablets, add one dose of this medicine to at least 4 ounces (or one-half cup) of water, allow the tablets to break up in the water, then stir until the medicine is evenly mixed. Drink the mixture right away. Rinse the cup or glass with some more water then swallow the rinse.

What if I miss a dose?

Do not miss any doses. If you do miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for the next scheduled dose. In that case, skip the missed dose and take the next one as directed. Do not take double doses. If you are not sure of what to do if you miss a dose, or if you miss more than one dose, contact your healthcare provider.

What if I overdose?

Symptoms of an acute overdose have not been reported.

What should I watch out for?

This medicine is not a cure for HIV infection. You may continue to get illnesses associated with advanced HIV infection, including other infections. There is no evidence that this medicine will reduce the risk of spreading HIV through sexual contact or blood contamination.

You will need to have blood tests regularly to see how this medicine affects you. Keep all appointments for these tests.

You may develop a rash. This usually goes away without any change in treatment. Occasionally, the rash becomes serious. Report any rash to your healthcare provider right away, especially if it lasts for more than 2 days.

Your body fat may change as a result of taking this medicine. Your legs and arms may be thin but your chest, belly, back, and neck may have more fat. Discuss this with your healthcare provider.

If you need emergency care, surgery, or dental work, tell the healthcare provider or dentist you are taking this medicine.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat).

Serious (report these your healthcare provider right away): Severe rash or a rash along with fever, blistering, sores in your mouth, swelling, muscle or joint aches, extreme weakness, dark urine, light-colored bowel movements, yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Other: Headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, numbness or tingling in hands or feet.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• antiarrhythmics (medicines to treat irregular heartbeat) such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), flecainide (Tambocor), mexiletine (Mexitil), propafenone (Rythmol), and quinidine
• antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (Ery-Tab, E.E.S., Erythrocin), rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane), and rifapentine (Priftin)
• antiseizure medicines such as phenytoin (Dilantin), carbamazepine (Tegretol), and phenobarbital
• antifungal medicines such as caspofungin (Cancidas), itraconazole (Sporanox), voriconazole (Vfend), and ketoconazole (Nizoral)
• anti-HIV medicines such as ritonavir (Norvir), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir mesylate (Viracept), didanosine (Videx, Videx EC), and saquinavir (Invirase)
• cholesterol-lowering medicines (statins) such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and lovastatin (Mevacor)
• dapsone
• corticosteroids such as cortisone (Cortone), betamethasone (Celestone), dexamethasone, fludrocortisone (Florinef), hydrocortisone (Cortef, Hydrocortone, A-HydroCort), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone (Meticorten), prednisolone (Delta-Cortef), and triamcinolone (Aristocort, Kenacort)
• immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), and tacrolimus (Prograf)
• medicines to reduce stomach acid such as ranitidine (Zantac), cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and nizatidine (Axid)
• medicines to treat erectile dysfunction such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra)
• pimozide (Orap)
• methadone (Dolophine)
• sedatives as alprazolam (Xanax) , diazepam (Valium), and triazolam (Halcion)
• St. Johns wort
• warfarin (Coumadin)

The effects of this medicine may be increased if you take it with grapefruit juice. Discuss this with your healthcare provider.

Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

How should I store this medicine?

Store this medicine at room temperature. Keep the container tightly closed. Protect it from heat, high humidity, and bright light.

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This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Ask your pharmacist for the best way to dispose of outdated medicine or medicine you have not used. Do not throw medicine in the trash.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.

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