Delavirdine helps control your HIV infection, thereby improving your quality of life. It is used in combination with at least 2 other anti-HIV medications. It helps to decrease the amount of HIV in your body so your immune system can work better. It also lowers your risk of getting HIV disease complications (such as new infections, cancer). Delavirdine belongs to a class of drugs known as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs).

Delavirdine is not a cure for HIV infection and it does not prevent the spread of HIV to others through sexual contact or blood contamination (such as sharing used needles).

Read the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your pharmacist before you start taking delavirdine and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Take this medication by mouth with or without food, usually 3 times daily or as directed by your doctor. The 200-milligram tablets cannot be dissolved and must be swallowed whole.

If you have a condition of little or no stomach acid (achlorhydria), you should take delavirdine with an acidic beverage such as orange or cranberry juice.

If you are also taking an antacid or a buffered form of the medication didanosine, take it at least 1 hour before or after delavirdine.

If you are taking HIV medications for the first time, you may experience symptoms of an old infection as your immune system begins to work better. Tell your doctor immediately if you notice any trouble breathing, fever, new cough, vision problems, headaches, or skin problems.

It is very important to continue taking this medication (and other HIV medications) exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not skip any doses. Do not increase your dose, take this drug more often than prescribed, or stop taking it (or other HIV medicines) even for a short time unless directed to do so by your doctor. Skipping or changing your dose without approval from your doctor may cause the amount of virus to increase, make the infection more difficult to treat (resistant), or worsen side effects.

This medication works best when the amount of drug in your body is kept at a constant level. Therefore, take this drug at evenly spaced intervals. To help you remember, take it at the same times each day.

Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or if it worsens.

See also the How to Use section.

Nausea, diarrhea, headache, or tiredness may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: mental/mood changes (such as depression), signs of liver problems (such as persistent nausea, vomiting, stomach/abdominal pain, severe tiredness, yellowing eyes/skin, dark urine).

Changes in body fat may occur while you are taking this medication (such as increased fat in the upper back and stomach areas, decreased fat in the arms and legs). The cause and long-term effects of these changes are unknown. Discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with your doctor, as well as the possible use of exercise to reduce this side effect.

Delavirdine can commonly cause a rash that is usually not serious. A rash may occur within 1 to 3 weeks after you start delavirdine treatment. It appears mainly on the upper body and arms, but may also appear on the neck and face. After consultation with the doctor, most people can continue taking delavirdine and treat the rash if it is not severe. Non-serious rashes usually last less than 2 weeks. However, a severe rash or a rash with signs of a severe reaction requires immediate medical attention. Signs of a severe reaction that usually appear within the first 3 days of a serious rash include: fever, blisters, mouth sores, eye redness/swelling, swelling in other areas of the body, or muscle/joint pain. Since you may not be able to tell a common rash apart from a rare rash that could be a sign of a severe reaction, always seek immediate medical attention if you develop any rash or any of these symptoms.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

In the US -

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.

Before taking delavirdine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: liver problems.

To decrease your risk of spreading HIV disease to others, always use an effective barrier method (latex or polyurethane condoms/dental dams) during all sexual activity. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details.

During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. However, HIV medicines are now usually given to pregnant women with HIV. Treatment has been shown to decrease the risk of HIV transmission to the baby. Delavirdine may be part of that treatment. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

It is not known if delavirdine passes into breast milk. Because breast milk can transmit HIV, do not breast-feed.

See also How to Use section.

The effects of some drugs can change if you take other drugs or herbal products at the same time. This can increase your risk for serious side effects or may cause your medications not to work correctly. These drug interactions are possible, but do not always occur. Your doctor or pharmacist can often prevent or manage interactions by changing how you use your medications or by close monitoring.

To help your doctor and pharmacist give you the best care, be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products) before starting treatment with this product. While using this product, do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any other medicines you are using without your doctor's approval.

Some products that may interact with this drug include: drugs that decrease the amount of acid in your stomach (for example, ulcer drugs/heartburn relievers such as H2 blockers including cimetidine/famotidine, proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole/lansoprazole).

Other medications can affect the removal of delavirdine from your body, which may affect how delavirdine works. Examples include some drugs used to treat seizures (such as carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin), macrolide antibiotics (such as clarithromycin), rifamycins (such as rifabutin, rifampin), St. John's wort, among others.

Delavirdine can slow down the removal of many other medications from your body, which may affect how they work. Examples of affected drugs include antiarrhythmics (such as quinidine), cisapride, some drugs for anxiety/sleep (such as alprazolam, midazolam, triazolam), drugs to treat erectile dysfunction (such as sildenafil), ergot drugs (such as ergotamine), pimozide, cholesterol-reducing statins (such as atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin), trazodone, warfarin, among others.

Some other drugs to treat HIV infection (including protease inhibitors such as indinavir, ritonavir) may also interact with delavirdine. Your doctor will adjust your medications and monitor your treatment to reduce the risk of side effects.

This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use. Share this list with your doctor and pharmacist to lessen your risk for serious medication problems.

If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately. US residents can call the US National Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center.

Do not share this medication with others.

Laboratory and/or medical tests (such as liver tests, viral load, T-cell counts) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Consult your doctor for more details.

Keep all medical and laboratory appointments.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Store at room temperature between 59-86 degrees F (15-30 degrees C) away from light and moisture. Keep the container cap tightly closed. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medicines away from children and pets.

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company for more details about how to safely discard your product.

MEDICAL ALERT: Your condition can cause complications in a medical emergency. For enrollment information call MedicAlert at 1-800-854-1166 (US) or 1-800-668-1507 (Canada).

Information last revised September 2009 Copyright(c) 2009 First DataBank, Inc.