Although there is no cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), medications are available to help slow the progression of the disease and reduce its symptoms. Despite their effectiveness and their ability to extend the lives of patients with the disease, HIV medications do pose a risk for side effects.

Types of Medications

Doctors have a variety of medications to choose from when prescribing a drug for HIV, including nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) like zidovudine, protease inhibitors (PIs) like ritonavir and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) like nevirapine. The side effects of HIV medications vary from type to type.

Common Side Effects

Approximately 5 percent of patients who take NRTIs develop symptoms like rash, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, reports the Mayo Clinic. Nausea, diarrhea and the appearance of pouches or humps of fat on your back or shoulders are common effects of PIs, while NNRTIs often cause skin rashes.

Time Frame

The common side effects of NRTIs typically develop when treatment begins and last approximately six weeks before diminishing, reports the Mayo Clinic. The side effects of the other HIV medications may also decline as you become acclimated to their effects.

Drug Interactions

PIs interact with numerous medications and may require your doctor to adjust the dosage of other drugs you take. In addition, PIs may cause fatal reactions when taken with some drugs at any dosage, including the prostate drug alfuzosin, arrhythmia medications like amiodarone or flecainide, the anti-fungal voriconazole, drugs made from ergot fungus like dihydroergotamine, the acid reflux drug cisapride, the herb St. John's Wort, statin cholesterol medications like simvastatin, the anti-psychotic pimozide, the erectile dysfunction and hypertension drug sildenafil, and sedatives like triazolam, warns the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Risks

All of the HIV medications pose a risk for liver dysfunction or failure, warns the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, PIs may cause hyperglycemia, osteoporosis and high cholesterol, wile NRTI use may result in lactic acidosis, a potentially fatal condition where your blood becomes too acidic.

Source:

Mayo Clinic

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. National Library of Medicine