Isentress (Raltegravir Tablets) Drug Overview and Uses for Patients and Caregivers at RxList

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May 27, 2012

Isentress

HIV and AIDS: Antiretroviral Drugs, Treatments and Medications »

Entry Inhibitors (including Fusion Inhibitors) and CCR5 Co-receptor Antagonist

Entry Inhibitors
Entry inhibitors block HIV entry into CD4+ cells.

Fusion inhibitors
The only drug in this class is T-20, which is administered as a twice daily subcutaneous injection. The most common side effect is redness and pain at the site of injection. Rarely, infection can occur at the injection site. There also are reports of generalized allergic reactions.

CCR5 antagonist
Although there were some early concerns of liver inflammation for drugs in this class, MVC appeared to be well tolerated in clinical trials without any specific toxicities attributable to the drug. However, it is a new drug in a new class and the first to actually target the cell. For these reasons, longer follow-up from clinical trials and those followed in the clinic will be very important for assessing the overall safety of the...

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Isentress

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Isentress Consumer

IMPORTANT: HOW TO USE THIS INFORMATION: This is a summary and does NOT have all possible information about this product. This information does not assure that this product is safe, effective, or appropriate for you. This information is not individual medical advice and does not substitute for the advice of your health care professional. Always ask your health care professional for complete information about this product and your specific health needs.

RALTEGRAVIR - ORAL

(RAL-te-GRA-vir)

COMMON BRAND NAME(S): Isentress

USES: Raltegravir is used with other medications to help control your HIV infection, thereby improving your quality of life. It also lowers your risk of getting complications from HIV (e.g., new infections, cancer). This medication is usually prescribed to people who have taken other HIV medications that did not work well enough to control their HIV. Raltegravir is known as an integrase inhibitor. It blocks the virus from growing and infecting more cells.

Raltegravir is not a cure for HIV, and it does not prevent the spread of HIV to others through sexual contact or blood contamination (e.g., sharing used needles).

HOW TO USE: Read the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your pharmacist before you start using raltegravir and each time you get a refill. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Take this medication by mouth with or without food, usually 2 times daily or as directed by your doctor.

It is very important to continue taking this medication (and other HIV medications) exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

Do not increase your dose or take this medication more often than prescribed. Your condition will not improve any faster, and the risk of serious side effects may be increased.

Do not take 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 and/or make the infection more difficult to treat (resistant).

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 times each day.