How to Take VIREAD and Who Should Not Take VIREAD
A once-daily tablet
The usual dosage of VIREAD is 1 tablet, once a day. Take VIREAD by mouth, with or without food. If you have kidney problems, your healthcare provider may recommend that you take VIREAD less often.
- Take VIREAD exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it
- Take VIREAD at the same time every day
- Do not miss a dose of VIREAD. If you miss a dose of VIREAD, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose of VIREAD, do not take the missed dose. Take the next dose of VIREAD at your regular time
- When your VIREAD supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy. This is very important because the amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time. The virus may develop resistance to VIREAD and become harder to treat
- If you take too much VIREAD, call your local poison control center or go right away to the nearest hospital emergency room
Who should not take VIREAD?
Do not take VIREAD if:
- You are already taking TRUVADA®, or ATRIPLA® because VIREAD is one of the active ingredients in TRUVADA and ATRIPLA
- You are currently taking HEPSERA®
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking VIREAD?
Talk to your doctor about taking an HIV test before starting treatment with VIREAD for chronic hepatitis B because in case you have HIV and chronic hepatitis B you will need to take additional medicines for your HIV. Before you take VIREAD, tell your healthcare provider if you:
- Have liver problems, including hepatitis B (HBV) infection
- Have kidney problems
- Have bone problems
- Have any other medical conditions, including HIV infection
- Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if VIREAD will harm your unborn baby
- Are breast feeding or plan to breast feed. It is not known if VIREAD can pass through your breast milk and harm your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take the following medications, as the dose of these other medications may need to be changed:
- Didanosine (VIDEX®, VIDEX® EC)
- Atazanavir (REYATAZ®)
- Lopinavir with ritonavir (KALETRA®)
Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
VIREAD may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how VIREAD works.
Remember, you need to stay under a healthcare provider's care when taking VIREAD. Do not change your treatment or stop treatment without first talking with your healthcare provider.
For additional risk information for VIREAD, including boxed WARNINGS, please click here. Also, please see FDA-Approved Patient Labeling and Full Prescribing Information.