What is Retrovir ?
Retrovir belongs to a class of drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors which are used to treat HIV infection. In order to treat HIV effectively, Retrovir MUST be taken in combination with other HIV medications as prescribed.

How does Retrovir work ?
Retrovir interferes with a very important HIV specific enzyme and impairs the HIV viruses ability to replicate. Retrovir, like all nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, interferes with a different HIV enzyme then the protease inhibitors. When Retrovir is taken in combination with other HIV medications the goal is to prevent the virus from further weakening the immune system. If Retrovir is effective then you should expect to see an increase in T-cells (CD4 immune cells) and decrease in HIV viral load. Not everybody responds to Retrovir, however you can improve the chance that Retrovir will work by taking all your medications everyday.

How should Retrovir be taken ?
Retrovir can be taken with or without food. The usual dose is one tablet (300 mg) twice a day (one tablet in the morning and one tablet in the evening).

It is very important to try not to miss or skip any doses. The fewer doses a person skips the fewer opportunities the HIV virus has to develop resistance to the medication.

What does Retrovir look like ?
Retrovir can either be a tablet or a capsule, although capsules are seldom used anymore. The capsule is white with a blue band around the center. The 300mg tablet is round and white (similar to an aspirin tablet) and has 300 imprinted on one side and GX CW3 on the other side.

What are potential side effects of Retrovir ?
Retrovir may cause headache, nausea, fatigue, and weakness. These symptoms are more likely to occur when Retrovir is started and typically resolve after a few weeks. Retrovir can also cause muscle aches and darkening of fingernails.