◦You don't feel like eating food for several days or longer.
◦You feel sick to your stomach (nausea).
◦You have lower stomach area (abdominal) pain.
•You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese), or have been taking nucleoside analog medicines, like Emtriva, for a long time.
•If you are also infected with the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), you need close medical follow-up for several months after stopping treatment with Emtriva. Follow-up includes medical exams and blood tests to check for HBV that is getting worse. Patients with HBV infection, who take Emtriva and then stop it, may get "flare-ups" of their hepatitis. A "flare-up" is when the disease suddenly returns in a worse way than before.
What is Emtriva?
Emtriva is a type of medicine called an HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI). Emtriva is always used with other anti-HIV-1 medicines to treat people with HIV-1 infection. Emtriva is for adults and children, but has not been studied fully in adults over age 65.
HIV infection destroys CD4+ T cells, which are important to the immune system. The immune system helps fight infection. After a large number of T cells are destroyed, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) develops.
Emtriva helps to block HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, a chemical in your body (enzyme) that is needed for HIV-1 to multiply. Emtriva may lower the amount of HIV-1 in the blood (viral load). Emtriva may also help to increase the number of T cells called CD4+ cells. Lowering the amount of HIV-1 in the blood lowers the chance of death or infections that happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).
Emtriva does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. The long-term effects of Emtriva are not known at this time. People taking Emtriva may still get opportunistic infections or other conditions that happen with HIV-1 infection. Opportunistic infections are infections that develop because the immune system is weak. Some of these conditions are pneumonia, herpes virus infections, and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections. It is very important that you see your healthcare provider regularly while taking Emtriva.
Who should not take Emtriva?
•Do not take Emtriva if you are allergic to Emtriva or any of its ingredients. The active ingredient is emtricitabine. See the end of this leaflet for a complete list of ingredients.
•Do not take Emtriva if you are already taking ATRIPLA®, COMPLERA®, STRIBILD™, TRUVADA®, Combivir, Epivir, Epivir-HBV, Epzicom, or Trizivir because these medicines contain the same or similar active ingredients.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking Emtriva?
Tell your healthcare provider
•If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. We do not know if Emtriva can harm your unborn child. You and your healthcare provider will need to decide if Emtriva is right for you. If you use Emtriva while you are pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about how you can be on the Emtriva Antiviral Pregnancy Registry.
•If you are breast-feeding. You should not breast feed if you are HIV-positive because of the chance of passing the HIV virus to your baby. Also, Emtriva can pass into your breast milk and it is not known if it can harm your baby. If you are a woman who has or will have a baby, talk with your healthcare provi
