Etravirine: Uses, indications and cautions when using

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Currently, scientists are constantly researching to find new drugs that help prolong the life of HIV patients. Among them is the drug Etravirine, which is considered a new active ingredient in the treatment of HIV. So what does Etravirine do?

1. What are the effects of Etravirine?

Etravirine is used in combination with other HIV medicines to help control HIV infection. Etravirine reduces the HIV load in the body, helps the patient's immune system work better, reduces the risk of HIV complications (such as infections, cancer) and improves quality of life. of the patient.
Etravirine is usually indicated for patients who are already taking other HIV drugs (eg, efavirenz, nevirapine, delavirdine) but whose regimen is not working well enough to control the person's HIV status. Etravirine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). Etravirine helps stop the virus from growing and spreading to more cells. However, Etravirine is not a cure for HIV.
To reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others, continue to take all HIV medicines as prescribed by your doctor. Do not share personal items (such as needles, toothbrushes, and razors) that have come in contact with the blood or other body fluids of an HIV patient.

2. Instructions for using the drug Etravirine

Etravirine is to be taken by mouth, after meals as directed by your doctor, usually 2 times daily. The patient should swallow the tablet whole, do not crush, chew or split the tablet. For children, the dose of Etravirine is calculated based on the child's weight.
If you have difficulty swallowing the Etravirine tablet whole, you can put your tablet in a glass with about 1 teaspoon of water (5ml) to dissolve the tablet, if necessary add more water. Stir the drug-water mixture well until it becomes milky white.
Note only use water to dissolve the tablet before use. Then, add about 1 tablespoon (15ml) of water, orange juice or milk to the glass and drink it all right away. Rinse the glass several times with water, orange juice or milk and drink it all to ensure that the patient has taken the full dose. Etravirine should not be mixed with warm or carbonated beverages.
Continue to take Etravirine (and other HIV medicines) exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not increase your dose or take Etravirine more often because your condition will not improve any faster, but the risk of serious side effects may increase.
Do not take less Etravirine than prescribed or stop taking Etravirine (or other HIV medicines) even for a short time unless directed by your doctor. Stopping the drug may cause the viral load to increase and/or make the infection more difficult to treat (resistant).
For the best effect, patients should take Etravirine at evenly spaced times. For ease of memory, patients should take Etravirine at the same time each day.

3. Etravirine side effects

Nausea is a possible side effect of taking Etravirine. If nausea persists while taking Etravirine or vomiting gets worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
When a patient's immune system becomes stronger after taking Etravirine, it can start to fight the infections that the person has had causing the symptoms of the infection to return. These symptoms appear when a person's immune system becomes overactive. Reactions can usually occur at any time (immediately after HIV treatment is started or months later).
Patients should immediately contact medical attention for any of the following serious symptoms:
Unexplained weight loss; Severe fatigue; Persistent muscle pain and weakness; Severe, persistent headache; Athritis ; Numbness or tingling of hands, feet, arms, or legs; Vision changes; Infection (fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, trouble breathing, cough, skin sores that don't heal); signs of hyperthyroidism (irritability, nervousness, heat intolerance, tachycardia, irregular heartbeat, bulging eyes, goiter); signs of a neurological problem: Guillain-Barre syndrome (difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, difficulty moving eyes, drooping eyelids, paralysis, difficulty speaking); signs of liver disease (such as nausea, vomiting that doesn't stop, loss of appetite, stomach pain, yellow eyes, jaundice, dark urine); Increased thirst, increased urge to urinate, change in urine output, mental changes (nervousness, confusion); Convulsions ; Chest pain, jaw pain, left arm pain.
Changes in body fat may occur when a patient is taking Etravirine (increase in fat in the upper back and stomach area, decrease in fat in the arms and legs). However, the cause and long-term effects of these changes are still unknown. Discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with Etravirine with your doctor, possibly mentioning the role of exercise to reduce this side effect.
Etravirine can cause a mild rash but is usually not serious. The rash usually appears during the second week of treatment and resolves after 1-2 weeks of treatment with Etravirine . However, patients may not be able to distinguish a rare rash that could be a sign of a serious allergic reaction. Therefore, seek medical help immediately if a person develops a rash after taking Etravirine, especially if accompanied by symptoms such as fever, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, blisters, mouth sores, redness or swollen eyes.

4. Notes when using Etravirine

Before taking etravirine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to this active ingredient or to any other allergies. At the same time, the patient's medical history also needs to be fully reported to the doctor, especially liver disease (hepatitis B, hepatitis C).
Children may be more sensitive to the side effects of Etravirine, especially a rash. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant before using Etravirine. Treatment with Etravirine can reduce the risk of HIV transmission to the unborn baby in the womb, but the risks and benefits should be discussed with your doctor.
Etravirine will pass into breast milk, however breast milk can transmit HIV to the baby, so a mother with HIV should not breastfeed.

5. Etravirine drug interactions

Drug interactions can change the way Etravirine works or increase your risk of serious side effects. The product that may interact with Etravirine is orlistat.
Make sure your doctor knows all of the HIV medications you are taking because Etravirine can interact with other HIV medications. Your doctor may then need to change your treatment or monitor you more closely if you are taking a combination of certain HIV medications.
Other drugs that can affect the elimination of Etravirine from the body of the patient, affecting the activity of etravirine include:
Macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin); Rifamycins; Medicines to treat seizures (carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone). In contrast, Etravirine may speed or slow the removal of other medicines from the body by affecting certain liver enzymes. Drugs affected by Etravirine include:
Clopidogrel ; Cobicistat; Medicines that control heart rate (amiodarone, disopyramide, quinidine); Anticoagulants (warfarin); Statins (atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin); Medicines for erectile dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension (such as sildenafil, tadalafil).

Tests such as viral load, T cell count should be performed periodically to monitor HIV progression or check for side effects.
If the patient misses a dose of Etravirine and remembers it within 6 hours of the usual time to take that dose, the patient should take the medicine after a meal as soon as he remembers. If it has been more than 6 hours since your usual time for that dose, skip the missed dose and continue taking your next dose at the usual time, do not double the dose.
Store Etravirine at room temperature, away from light and moisture. Store Etravirine in the original bottle with the cap tightly closed. Each bottle should contain small bags containing desiccant to help moisture in the air not damage the medicine, do not remove the desiccant bag from the bottle. Etravirine is a drug indicated for the treatment of HIV. In order for the drug to work at its best, the patient must strictly follow the instructions of the doctor and pharmacist.

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Reference source: webmd.com