Can you answer the following questions about
Sustiva®?
What is the generic name? Any abbreviations?
What "class" antiretroviral is it and how does it work?
With food, without food or food doesn't matter?
Any side effects?
Any possible drug interactions?
What is a typical dose?
Any other significant counseling points?
Sustiva ® (Efavirenz) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
(NNRTI) that
inhibits viral replication.
Sustiva ®
(Efavirenz) is dosed as
600 mg once daily in the evening.
Sustiva
®
(Efavirenz) may be taken
with or without food, but a
high fat meal may
increase its absorption.
The most common side effects involve the central nervous system (e.g.,
dizziness, impaired concentration, insomnia, somnolence, and abnormal dreams) and are
usually transient (e.g., 2-4 weeks).
Rare cases of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome have been reported with the use of
NNRTIs.
May cause false positive marijuana test with certain assays.
Efavirenz is metabolized by cytochrome P450 and is a
mixed inhibitor and
inducer of cytochrome P450 enzymes.
As with all antiretrovirals, adherence is
crucial. Non-adherence is a
frequent cause of drug failure and viral resistance, not only to efavirenz,
but to other NNRTIs as well.
