Antiviral agents

Primaquine dose is highly effective to treat malaria as well as Pneumocystis Pneumonia. Read the article to learn more about Primaquine mechanism of action, dosage instructions, side effects, and warnings.

Daklinza as an effective drug used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in adults: doses, precautions, and drug interactions.

The most effective first-line drug in the treatment of hepatitis C genotypes 1, 4, 5, or 6: doses, interactions, and side effects.

Dry cough is very annoying, but taking Robitussin one may get rid of it within a couple of days. The drug contains two active ingredients. The first one is Dextromethorphan, which helps to suppress the urge to cough. The second one is called Guaifenesin.

The main advantages of Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in the treatment of HBV: safety, efficiency, side effects, and precautions.

Valaciclovir is the L-valyl ester of aciclovir. After oral administration, it is rapidly and extensively converted to aciclovir by first-pass metabolism, resulting in plasma aciclovir concentrations previously only attainable with intravenous administration.

Elderly patients and people with chronic renal insufficiency are most susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of aciclovir: confusion, hallucinations, dizziness, irritability, ataxia, tremor, myoclonus, and seizures. The symptoms usually occur within 3 days of the start of therapy and resolve within 5 days after withdrawal. Plasma aciclovir concentrations do not correlate with symptoms. Lumbar puncture and CT scans of the head are essentially unremarkable.

Decisions regarding when to initiate or modify antiretroviral therapy should be guided by monitoring plasma HIV-1 RNA levels (viral load), CD4+ T-cell counts, and the clinical condition of the patient. Although various other surrogate markers and laboratory parameters were used in the past to assess the risk of progression of HIV infection and evaluate efficacy of antiretroviral agents.

Progressive neurodevelopmental deterioration is defined as persistence or progression of deterioration documented on repeated testing as demonstrated by the presence of 2 or more of the following findings: impairment in brain growth, decline in cognitive function documented by psychometric testing, or clinical motor dysfunction. If there is evidence of progressive neurodevelopmental deterioration, the new antiretroviral regimen optimally should include at least one drug that has substantial CNS penetration (e.g., zidovudine or nevirapine).

Patient compliance with recommended regimens (even when asymptomatic) is essential to the potential benefits of antiretroviral therapy. Adherence to antiretroviral regimens is an important determinant of both the degree and duration of virologic suppression. Excellent adherence has been shown to increase the likelihood of sustained virologic control, which is important for reducing HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. Poor adherence has been shown to increase the likelihood of virologic failure and can lead to the development of resistance and limit the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy.