What is emtricitabine?
Emtricitabine is an antiviral medication that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in your body.
Emtricitabine is for treating HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Emtricitabine is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.
Emtricitabine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about emtricitabine?
Some people develop lactic acidosis while taking emtricitabine. Early symptoms may get worse over time and this condition can be fatal. Get emergency medical help if you have even mild symptoms such as: muscle pain or weakness, numb or cold feeling in your arms and legs, trouble breathing, stomach pain, nausea with vomiting, fast or uneven heart rate, dizziness, or feeling very weak or tired.
Emtricitabine may also cause severe liver damage, which can be fatal. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these symptoms of liver problems: nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
If you have hepatitis B you may develop liver symptoms after you stop taking this medication, even months after stopping. Your doctor may want to check your liver function for several months after you stop using emtricitabine. Visit your doctor regularly.
Taking this medication will not prevent you from passing HIV to other people. Do not have unprotected sex or share razors or toothbrushes. Talk with your doctor about safe ways to prevent HIV transmission during sex. Sharing drug or medicine needles is never safe, even for a healthy person.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking emtricitabine?
You should not take emtricitabine if you are allergic to it.
Emtricitabine should not be taken together with any HIV combination medicine that contains emtricitabine or lamivudine. This includes:
Atripla (efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir);
Combivir (lamivudine and zidovudine);
Complera (rilpivirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir);
Epivir (lamivudine);
Epzicom (abacavir and lamivudine);
Trizivir (abacavir, lamivudine, and zidovudine); and
Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir).
To make sure you can safely take emtricitabine, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:
liver disease (especially hepatitis B if you also have HIV);
kidney disease; or
if you have used a medicine similar to emtricitabine in the past, such as abacavir (Ziagen), didanosine (Videx), lamivudine (Epivir, Combivir, Epzicom, Trizivir), stavudine (Zerit), tenofovir (Viread), zalcitabine (Hivid), zidovudine (Retrovir), or emtricitabine combinations (Atripla, Complera, Truvada).
Some people develop a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis while taking emtricitabine. You may be more likely to develop lactic acidosis if you are overweight or have liver disease, if you are a woman, or if you have taken HIV or AIDS medications for a long time. Talk with your doctor about your individual risk.
FDA pregnancy category B. Emtricitabine is not expected to harm an unborn baby. However, HIV can be passed to your baby if you are not properly treated during pregnancy. Take all of your HIV medicines as directed to control your infection.
If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry. This is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and to evaluate any effects of emtricitabine on the baby.
Women with HIV or AIDS should not breast feed a baby. Even if your baby is born without HIV, the virus may be passed to the baby in your breast milk.