Norvir® (Ritonavir)
Who should take this?
Ritonavir is approved to be used with other anti-HIV drugs to treat HIV infection in patients older than one month.
People who have or have ever had liver disease, diabetes, hemophilia or a history of alcohol abuse should discuss this with their doctors before taking Norvir. People who drink alcohol should discuss this with their doctors before taking Norvir. Additionally, women who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding should talk to their doctors before taking Norvir.
Older people taking Norvir have a greater risk of developing liver, kidney or heart problems.
How is it taken? / Dosage
Ritonavir comes in a soft gel capsule and a liquid. Both forms are taken by mouth and should be taken with food every 12 hours. Low-dose Norvir (often used to boost over protease inhibitors) is best taken with food (a meal or light snack) to reduce side effects and increase absorption.
To make the liquid Norvir taste better, patients can mix it with chocolate milk or certain vitamin- and mineral-fortified foods. Doses should be mixed one at a time. The whole dose should be taken within an hour of mixing. Rinse the cup after each dose.
Ritonavir capsules should be stored in the refrigerator. They can be kept at room temperature if they are used within 30 days. Liquid Norvir should be stored at room temperature.
It is important to take Norvir exactly as the doctor directs. This makes the drug as effective as possible. It also helps prevent drug interactions or resistance. This helps improves a patient’s quality and length of life.
Side Effects
Along with its desired effects, ritonavir can cause some unwanted effects. These include:
- An allergic reaction. Signs of this include a rash or hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or lips, tingling or numbness in the hands, feet, or around the lips, extreme tiredness and lack of energy, loss of appetite, pain in the upper right part of the stomach or yellowing of the skin or eyes.
- Changes in how fat is distributed around the body (lipodystrophy)
- High blood sugar that lead to diabetes or make existing diabetes worse. Signs of this include being unusually thirsty, needing to go to the bathroom often, weakness, dizziness or headache.
- High cholesterol
- Inflammation of the pancreas. Signs of this are severe stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting.
- More bleeding in people who have hemophilia. (People with this disease have blood that doesn’t clot.)
Other side effects may also occur. Many are not serious. They may get better or disappear in time. These include:
- Burning or pricking feelings in the hands and feet
- Changes in the sense of taste
- Confusion or abnormal thinking
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Dizziness
- Fever
- General weakness
- Headaches
- Indigestion or gas
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Skin rashes
- Sleepiness or inability to sleep
- Sore throat
- Stomach pain
- Sweating
- Throat irritation
Drug Interactions
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Resistance
As HIV copies itself and multiplies, changes sometimes happen in the new HIV copies. These are called mutations. When this happens, drugs that once were effective against HIV no longer are. The virus has found a way to grow even when the drug is taken properly. Signs of resistance are an HIV viral load that doesn’t drop.
When the virus changes, it is sometimes able to resist certain antiretroviral drugs. This is called drug resistance. Sometimes when the virus develops a resistance to one drug, it may also resist the effects of other antiretroviral drugs in the same class. This is called cross-resistance.
A drug resistance can develop quickly. The best way to prevent drug resistance is to take antiretroviral drugs as instructed and on schedule. This will make opportunistic infections less likely. It will also improve quality and length of life.
