Brand Reyataz

This drug is used with other medications to help control your HIV infection, thereby improving your quality of life. It may also lower your risk of complications from HIV (such as new infections, cancer). Atazanavir belongs to a class of drugs known as protease inhibitors. Atazanavir 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 if available from your pharmacist before you start taking atazanavir and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Take this medication by mouth as directed by your doctor, usually once daily with food. Do not open, crush, or chew the capsules. Swallow the capsules whole. The dosage is based on your medical condition, response to treatment, and other medications you may be taking. Be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products). You may also be directed by your doctor to take ritonavir with this medication. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully. If you are taking antacids or buffered forms of drugs (such as didanosine solution, didanosine enteric-coated capsules), take atazanavir at least 2 hours before or 1 hour after these medications. 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 right away if you notice any trouble breathing, fever, new cough, vision problems, headaches, or skin problems. 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 time each day. 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 take more or less of this drug than prescribed or stop taking it (or other HIV medicines) even for a short time unless directed to do so by your doctor. Doing so may cause the amount of virus to increase, make the infection more difficult to treat (resistant), or worsen side effects. Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or if it worsens.

Before taking atazanavir, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details. Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: liver problems (including hepatitis B or C infections), kidney problems (including kidney stones), heart problems (such as heart rhythm problems, irregular heartbeat, coronary artery disease, heart attack), diabetes, a certain bleeding problem (hemophilia). Atazanavir may increase the level of cholesterol and fats (triglycerides) in your blood. HIV infection can also cause this effect. This could increase your risk for heart problems such as a heart attack. Discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with your doctor and ways to lower your risk of heart disease. Tell your doctor if you have heart problems, if you smoke, or if you have other conditions that increase your risk of heart disease such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol/triglyceride levels. Before having surgery, tell your doctors or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and herbal products). Atazanavir should not be given to children younger than 3 months because of the risk of very serious side effects. During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed. However, HIV medicines are now usually given to pregnant women with HIV. Treatment can decrease the risk of passing the HIV infection to your baby. Atazanavir may be part of that treatment. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor. It is unknown if atazanavir passes into breast milk. Because breast milk can transmit HIV, do not breast-feed.

It is important not to miss doses of this drug. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is less than 6 hours until the next dose. In that case, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

See also How to Use section. Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval. Atazanavir interacts with many medications. One product that may interact with this drug is: indinavir. Other medications can affect the removal of atazanavir from your body, which may affect how atazanavir works. Examples include nevirapine, rifamycins (such as rifampin), St. John's wort, among others. Atazanavir can slow down the removal of other medications from your body, which may affect how they work. Examples of affected drugs include some alpha blockers (such as alfuzosin), certain benzodiazepines (midazolam, triazolam), cisapride, ergot alkaloids (such as dihydroergotamine, ergotamine), fluticasone, irinotecan, pimozide, drugs to treat erectile dysfunction/pulmonary hypertension (such as sildenafil, vardenafil), certain "statin" cholesterol drugs (lovastatin, simvastatin), salmeterol, among others. Prescription and nonprescription drugs to treat heartburn, indigestion, or ulcers (including H2 blockers such as famotidine, proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole) reduce stomach acid and decrease the absorption of atazanavir. This may prevent atazanavir from working well. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to use these medications safely. This medication may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal birth control such as pills, patch, or ring. This could cause pregnancy. Discuss with your doctor or pharmacist the use of additional reliable birth control methods while using this medication. (See Notes section.) Also tell your doctor if you have any new spotting or breakthrough bleeding, because these may be signs that your hormonal birth control is not working well.

Headache or nausea may occur. If either of these effects persists or worsens, 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 right away if you have any serious side effects, including: yellowing eyes/skin, increased thirst/urination, fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, signs of a kidney stone (such as pain in side/back/abdomen, painful urination, blood in the 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. Get medical help right away if you have any very serious side effects, including: signs of a heart attack (such as chest/jaw/left arm pain, shortness of breath, unusual sweating). Atazanavir can commonly cause a rash that is usually not serious. However, you may not be able to tell it apart from a rare rash that could be a sign of a severe reaction. Therefore, get medical help right away if you develop any rash. A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is rare. However, get medical help right away if you notice any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including: 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.

Store at room temperature away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medications 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.