Frequently Asked Questions
The following is a list of frequently asked questions about TRUVADA
What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA?
What is TRUVADA?
How does TRUVADA work?
Does TRUVADA cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS?
Does TRUVADA reduce the risk of passing HIV-1 to others?
Who should not take TRUVADA?
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking TRUVADA?
Can I take TRUVADA if I'm pregnant?
Can I breast-feed if I'm on TRUVADA?
How should I take TRUVADA?
What if I forget to take a dose of TRUVADA?
What if I run out of TRUVADA?
What should I avoid while taking TRUVADA?
What are the most serious side effects of TRUVADA?
What are the most common side effects of TRUVADA?
How do I store TRUVADA?
What else should I know about TRUVADA?
What are the ingredients of TRUVADA?
Click here for a printable version of these FAQs.
A: Some people who have taken medicine like TRUVADA (nucleoside analogs) have developed a serious condition called lactic acidosis (buildup of an acid in the blood). Lactic acidosis can be a medical emergency and may need to be treated in the hospital. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following signs or symptoms of lactic acidosis:
- You feel very weak or tired.
- You have unusual (not normal) muscle pain.
- You have trouble breathing.
- You have stomach pain with nausea and vomiting.
- You feel cold, especially in your arms and legs.
- You feel dizzy or lightheaded.
- You have a fast or irregular heartbeat.
Some people who have taken medicines like TRUVADA have developed serious liver problems called hepatotoxicity, with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis). Call your healthcare provider right away if you get the following signs or symptoms of liver problems:
- Your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice).
- Your urine turns dark.
- Your bowel movements (stools) turn light in color.
- You don't feel like eating food for several days or longer.
- You feel sick to your stomach (nausea).
- You have lower stomach area (abdominal) pain.
You may be more likely to get lactic acidosis or liver problems if you are female, very overweight (obese) or have been taking nucleoside analog medicines, like TRUVADA, for a long time.
If you are also infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), you need close medical follow-up for several months after stopping treatment with TRUVADA. Follow-up includes medical exams and blood tests to check for HBV that could be getting worse. Patients with hepatitis B virus infection, who take TRUVADA and then stop it, may get "flare-ups" of their hepatitis. A "flare-up" is when the disease suddenly returns in a worse way than before.
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A: TRUVADA is a type of medicine called an HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI). TRUVADA contains two medicines, EMTRIVA® (emtricitabine) and VIREAD® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, or tenofovir DF) combined in one pill. TRUVADA is always used with other anti-HIV-1 medicines to treat people with HIV-1 infection. TRUVADA is for adults age 18 and older. TRUVADA has not been studied in children under age 18 or adults over age 65.
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A: The drugs in TRUVADA make it harder for HIV-1 to multiply. TRUVADA helps block HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, a chemical in your body (enzyme) that is needed for HIV-1 to multiply. HIV-1 infection destroys CD4 cells (T cells), which are important to the immune system. TRUVADA lowers the amount of HIV-1 in the blood (viral load) and may also help to increase the number of CD4 cells. Lowering the amount of HIV-1 in the blood lowers the chance of death or infections that happen when your immune system is weak (opportunistic infections).
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A: TRUVADA does not cure HIV-1 infection or AIDS. The long-term effects of TRUVADA are not known at this time. People taking TRUVADA may still get opportunistic infections or other conditions that happen with HIV-1 infection. Opportunistic infections are infections that develop because the immune system is weak. Some of these conditions are pneumonia, herpes virus infections and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. It is very important that you see your healthcare provider regularly while taking TRUVADA.
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A: TRUVADA does not lower your chance of passing HIV-1 to other people through sexual contact, sharing needles or being exposed to your blood. For your health and the health of others, it is important to always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom or other barrier to lower the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions or blood. Never use or share dirty needles.
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- Do not take TRUVADA if you are allergic to TRUVADA or any of its ingredients. The active ingredients of TRUVADA are emtricitabine and tenofovir DF. Click here for a complete list of ingredients.
- Do not take TRUVADA if you are already taking ATRIPLA® (efavirenz 600 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir DF 300 mg), Combivir® (lamivudine/zidovudine), EMTRIVA, Epivir® or Epivir-HBV® (lamivudine), Epzicom® (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine), Trizivir® (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine/zidovudine), or VIREAD because these medicines contain the same or similar active ingredients.
- Do not take TRUVADA to treat your HIV infection if you are also taking HEPSERA® (adefovir dipivoxil) to treat your HBV infection.
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A: Tell your healthcare provider if you:
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:
- Videx® or Videx EC® (didanosine). Tenofovir DF (a component of TRUVADA) may increase the amount of Videx in your blood. You may need to be followed more carefully if you are taking TRUVADA and Videx together. Also, the dose of didanosine may need to be reduced.
- Reyataz® (atazanavir sulfate) or Kaletra® (lopinavir/ritonavir). These medicines may increase the amount of tenofovir DF (a component of TRUVADA) in your blood, which could result in more side effects. You may need to be followed more carefully if you are taking TRUVADA and Reyataz or Kaletra together. TRUVADA may decrease the amount of Reyataz in your blood. If you are taking TRUVADA and Reyataz together, you should also be taking Norvir® (ritonavir).
Keep a complete list of all the medicines that you take. Make a new list when medicines are added or stopped. Give copies of this list to all of your healthcare providers and pharmacist every time you visit your healthcare provider or fill a prescription.
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A: We do not know if TRUVADA can harm your unborn child. You and your healthcare provider will need to decide if TRUVADA is right for you. If you use TRUVADA while you are pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about how you can be on the TRUVADA Antiviral Pregnancy Registry.
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A: You should not breast-feed if you are HIV-positive because of the chance of passing the HIV virus to your baby. Also, it is not known if TRUVADA can pass into your breast milk and if it can harm your baby. If you are a woman who has or will have a baby, talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby.
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A: If you forget to take TRUVADA, take it as soon as you remember that day. Do not take more than 1 dose of TRUVADA in a day. Do not take 2 doses at the same time. Call your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure what to do. It is important that you do not miss any doses of TRUVADA or your anti-HIV-1 medicines.
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A: When your TRUVADA supply starts to run low, get more from your healthcare provider or pharmacy right away. 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 TRUVADA and become harder to treat.
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- Do not breast-feed. See "Can I breast-feed if I'm on TRUVADA?"
- Avoid doing things that can spread HIV-1 infection since TRUVADA does not stop you from passing the HIV-1 infection to others.
- Do not share needles or other injection equipment.
- Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes or razor blades.
- Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom or other barrier to reduce the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions or blood.
- ATRIPLA, Combivir, EMTRIVA, Epivir or Epivir-HBV, Epzicom, Trizivir or VIREAD. TRUVADA should not be used with these medicines.
- TRUVADA should not be used with HEPSERA.
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TRUVADA may cause the following serious side effects (See "What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA?"):
Lactic acidosis (buildup of an acid in the blood). Lactic acidosis can be a medical emergency and may need to be treated in the hospital. Call your doctor right away if you get signs of lactic acidosis. (See "What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA?")
Serious liver problems (hepatotoxicity), with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis). Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any signs of liver problems. (See "What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA?")
"Flare-ups" of hepatitis B virus infection, in which the disease suddenly returns in a worse way than before, can occur if you stop taking TRUVADA. Your healthcare provider will monitor your condition for several months after stopping TRUVADA if you have both HIV-1 and HBV infection. TRUVADA is not approved for the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection. If you have advanced liver disease and stop treatment with TRUVADA, the “flare-up” of hepatitis B may cause your liver function to decline.
Kidney problems. If you have had kidney problems in the past or take other medicines that can cause kidney problems, your healthcare provider should do regular blood tests to check your kidneys.
Changes in bone mineral density (thinning bones). Laboratory tests show changes in the bones of patients treated with VIREAD, a medicine in TRUVADA. Some HIV patients treated with VIREAD developed thinning of the bones (osteopenia) which could lead to fractures. If you have had bone problems in the past, your healthcare provider may need to do tests to check your bone mineral density or may prescribe medicines to help your bone mineral density. Additionally, bone pain and softening of the bone (which may contribute to fractures) may occur as a consequence of kidney problems.
Other side effects with TRUVADA when used with other anti-HIV-1 medicines include:
Changes in body fat have been seen in some people taking TRUVADA and other anti-HIV-1 medicines. These changes may include increased amount of fat in the upper back and neck ("buffalo hump"), breast and around the main part of your body (trunk). Loss of fat from the legs, arms and face may also happen. The cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known at this time.
In some patients with advanced HIV infection (AIDS), signs and symptoms of inflammation from previous infections may occur soon after anti-HIV treatment is started. It is believed that these symptoms are due to an improvement in the body’s immune response, enabling the body to fight infections that may have been present with no obvious symptoms. If you notice any symptoms of infection, please inform your doctor immediately.
If you have questions about side effects, ask your healthcare provider. Report any new or continuing symptoms to your healthcare provider right away. Your healthcare provider may be able to help you manage these side effects.
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The most common side effects of the medicines in TRUVADA (EMTRIVA and VIREAD) when taken with other anti-HIV-1 medicines are diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, headache, fatigue, abnormal dreams, sleeping problems, rash, depression, and vomiting. Additional side effects are lactic acidosis, kidney problems (including decline or failure of kidney function), inflammation of the pancreas, inflammation of the liver, allergic reaction (including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat), shortness of breath, pain, fatty liver, stomach pain, weakness, indigestion, intestinal gas, and high volume of urine and thirst caused by kidney problems. Muscle pain and muscle weakness, bone pain, and softening of the bone (which may contribute to fractures) as a consequence of kidney problems have been reported. Skin discoloration (small spots or freckles) may also happen with TRUVADA.
These are not all the side effects of TRUVADA. If you have questions about side effects, ask your healthcare provider. Report any new or continuing symptoms to your healthcare provider right away. Your healthcare provider may be able to help you manage these side effects.
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- Keep TRUVADA and all other medicines out of reach of children.
- Store TRUVADA at room temperature 77°F (25°C).
- Keep TRUVADA in its original container and keep the container tightly closed.
- Do not keep medicine that is out of date or that you no longer need. If you throw any medicines away make sure that children will not find them.
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- Medicines are sometimes prescribed for conditions that are not mentioned in patient information leaflets.
- Do not use TRUVADA for a condition for which is was not prescribed.
- Do not give TRUVADA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have. It may harm them.
- Do not use TRUVADA if the seal over bottle opening is broken or missing.
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A: The active ingredients are emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. The inactive ingredients are croscarmellose sodium, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and pregelatinized starch (gluten free). The tablets are coated with Opadry II Blue Y-30-10701 containing FD&C Blue #2 aluminum lake, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 2910, lactose monohydrate, titanium dioxide and triacetin.
Next: Learn how HIV therapy works and key goals of HIV treatment
Patients should read the Patient Information, including "What is the most important information I should know about TRUVADA?". It is important that you discuss your treatment options and any questions that you may have with your healthcare provider.
Please read the Full Prescribing Information for TRUVADA, EMTRIVA, and VIREAD, including Boxed WARNINGS.
Please read the Full Prescribing Information for TRUVADA, ATRIPLA, EMTRIVA, and VIREAD, including Boxed WARNINGS.
*Synovate Healthcare Data; U.S. HIV Monitor, Q3, 2009.