Kivexa (Abacavir/Lamivudine)

Popular Brand Drugs (Generic: Abacavir/Lamivudine),which People Buy in Pharmacies of the UK and US

What Kivexa is and what it is used for

Read indications for use if you want to order Abacavir/Lamivudine online

Kivexa is used to treat HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection in adults.

Kivexa contains two active ingredients that are used to treat HIV infection: abacavir and lamivudine. These belong to a group of anti-retroviral medicines called nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs).

Kivexa does not completely cure HIV infection; it reduces the amount of virus in your body, and keeps it at a low level. It also increases the CD4 cell count in your blood. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cells that are important in helping your body to fight infection.

Not everyone responds to treatment with Kivexa in the same way. Your doctor will monitor the effectiveness of your treatment.

Before you take Kivexa

Before buy Abacavir/Lamivudine online, read information about the drug

Don’t take Kivexa:

if you’re allergic (hypersensitive) to abacavir (or any other medicine containing abacavir – (e.g. Trizivir or Ziagen), lamivudine or any of the other ingredients of Kivexa

Carefully read the all information

if you have severe liver disease
if you have severe kidney disease
if you have a very low red blood cell count (anaemia) or a very low white blood cell count (neutropenia).

Check with your doctor if you think any of these apply to you. Don’t take Kivexa

Take special care with Kivexa

When you buy cheap Abacavir/Lamivudine you must know how to use it

Some people taking Kivexa or other combination treatments for HIV are more at risk of serious side effects. You need to be aware of the extra risks:

if you have ever had liver disease, including hepatitis B or C (if you have hepatitis B infection, don’t stop Kivexa without your doctor’s advice, as your hepatitis may come back)
if you’re seriously overweight (especially if you’re a woman)

Talk to your doctor if any of these apply to you. You may need extra check-ups, including blood tests, while you’re taking your medicine.

Hypersensitivity reactions

About 3 to 4 in every 100 patients treated with abacavir in a clinical trial who did not have a gene called HLA-B*B701 developed a hypersensitivity reaction (a serious allergic reaction).

Risk of heart attack

It cannot be excluded that abacavir may increase the risk of having a heart attack.

Tell your doctor if you have heart problems, if you smoke, or have other illnesses that may increase your risk of heart disease such as high blood pressure, or diabetes. Don’t stop taking Kivexa unless your doctor advises you to do so.

Look out for important symptoms

Some people taking medicines for HIV infection develop other conditions, which can be serious. You need to know about important signs and symptoms to look out for while you’re taking Kivexa.

Read the information ‘Other possible side effects of combination therapy for HIV in Section 4 of this leaflet.

Protect other people

HIV infection is spread by sexual contact with someone who has the infection, or by transfer of infected blood (for example, by sharing injection needles). Kivexa will not stop you passing HIV infection on to other people. To protect other people from becoming infected with HIV:

Use a condom when you have oral or penetrative sex.

Don’t risk blood transfer – for example, don’t share needles.

Other medicines and Kivexa

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you’re taking any other medicines, or if you’ve taken any recently, including herbal medicines or other medicines you bought without a prescription. Remember to tell your doctor or pharmacist if you begin taking a new medicine while you’re taking Kivexa.

These medicines should not be used with Kivexa:

ribavirin, or injections of ganciclovir or foscarnet, to treat viral infections
high doses of co-trimoxazole, an antibiotic.

Tell your doctor if you’re being treated with any of these.

Some medicines can make it more likely that you’ll have side effects, or make side effects worse

These include:

co-trimoxazole, to treat bacterial infections

Tell your doctor if you’re taking this.

Some medicines interact with Kivexa

These include:

phenytoin, for treating epilepsy. Tell your doctor if you’re taking
phenytoin. Your doctor may need to monitor you while you’re taking Kivexa.
methadone, used as a heroin substitute. Abacavir increases the rate at which methadone is removed from the body. If you are taking methadone, you will be checked for any withdrawal symptoms. Your methadone dose may need to be changed.

Tell your doctor if you’re taking methadone.

Pregnancy

Kivexa is not recommended for use during pregnancy. Kivexa and similar medicines may cause side effects in unborn babies. If you become pregnant while you’re taking Kivexa, your baby may be given extra check-ups (including blood tests) to make sure it is developing normally.

If you are pregnant, if you become pregnant, or if you’re planning to become pregnant:

Talk to your doctor immediately about the risks and benefits of taking Kivexa, or other medicines for treating HIV infection, during your pregnancy.

Breast-feeding

Women who are HIV-positive must not breast-feed, because HIV infection can be passed on to the baby in breast milk.

If you’re breast-feeding, or thinking about breast-feeding:

Talk to your doctor immediately.

Driving and using machines

Don’t drive or operate machines unless you’re feeling well.

Important information about some of the other ingredients of Kivexa tablets

Read side effects if you want cheap Abacavir/Lamivudine no prescription

Kivexa contains a colouring called sunset yellow (E110), this may cause allergic reactions in some people.

If you get side effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if any of the side effects gets severe or troublesome, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet.

Other possible side effects of combination therapy for HIV

Combination therapy such as Kivexa may cause other conditions to develop during HIV treatment.

Old infections may flare up

People with advanced HIV infection (AIDS) have weak immune systems, and are more likely to develop serious infections (opportunistic infections). When these people start treatment, they may find that old, hidden infections flare up, causing signs and symptoms of inflammation. These symptoms are probably caused by the body’s immune system becoming stronger, so that the body starts to fight these infections. If you get any symptoms of infection while you’re taking Kivexa: Tell your doctor immediately. Don’t take other medicines for the infection without your doctor’s advice.

Your body shape may change

People taking combination therapy for HIV may find that their body shape changes, because of changes in fat distribution:

Fat may be lost from the legs, arms or face.

Extra fat may build up around the tummy (abdomen), or on the breasts or internal organs.

Fatty lumps (sometimes called buffalo hump) may appear on the back of the neck.

It is not yet known what causes these changes, or whether they have any long-term effects on your health. If you notice changes in your body shape:

Tell your doctor.

Lactic acidosis is a rare but serious side effect

Some people taking Kivexa, or other medicines like it (NRTIs), develop a condition called lactic acidosis, together with an enlarged liver.

Lactic acidosis is caused by a build-up of lactic acid in the body. It is rare; if it happens, it usually develops after a few months of treatment. It can be life-threatening, causing failure of internal organs.

Lactic acidosis is more likely to develop in people who have liver disease, or in obese (very overweight) people, especially women.

Signs of lactic acidosis include:

deep, rapid, difficult breathing
drowsiness
numbness or weakness in the limbs
feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting)
stomach pain.

During your treatment, your doctor will monitor you for signs of lactic acidosis. If you have any of the symptoms listed above or any other symptoms that worry you:

See your doctor as soon as possible.

You may have problems with your bones

Some people taking combination therapy for HIV develop a condition called osteonecrosis. With this condition, parts of the bone tissue die because of reduced blood supply to the bone. People may be more likely to get this condition:

if they have been taking combination therapy for a long time
if they are also taking anti-inflammatory medicines called corticosteroids
if they drink alcohol
if their immune systems are very weak
if they are overweight. Signs of osteonecrosis include:

stiffness in the joints
aches and pains (especially in the hip, knee or shoulder)
difficulty moving.

If you notice any of these symptoms: -» Tell your doctor.

Other effects may show up in blood tests

Combination therapy for HIV can also cause:

increased levels of lactic acid in the
blood, which on rare occasions can lead to lactic acidosis
increased levels of sugar and fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) in the blood
resistance to insulin (so if you’re diabetic, you may have to change your insulin dose to control your blood sugar).

How to store Kivexa

Before purchase Abacavir/Lamivudine, you must read how to store

Keep Kivexa out of the reach and sight of children.

Do not take Kivexa after the expiry date shown on the carton.

Do not store above 30°C.

If you have any unwanted Kivexa tablets, don’t dispose of them in your waste water or your household rubbish. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.

Further information

What Kivexa contains

The active substances in each Kivexa film-coated tablet are 600 mg of abacavir (as sulfate) and 300 mg of lamivudine.

The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycollate and magnesium stearate in the core of the tablet. The tablet coating contains Opadry Orange YS-1-1306B-A containing hypromellose, titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 400, polysorbate 80 and sunset yellow aluminium lake (E110).

What Kivexa looks like and contents of the pack

Kivexa film-coated tablets are engraved with ‘GS FC2’ on one side. They are orange and capsule-shaped and are provided in bottles or blister packs containing 30 tablets and blister packs containing 90(3 x 30) tablets.