Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets)

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets)

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) contains three drugs: Lamivudine, Nevirapine and Zidovudine. It is the medicine that is used with other HIV drugs for the control of HIV infections. This drug is very effective in decreasing the chances of a person getting infected with this virus. It improves the condition of the patient.

Lamivudine and Zidovudine are both NRTIs i.e. Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors while Nevirapine is a non-NTRIs(NNTRIs).

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) is a combination of three drugs commonly used in the management of the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection. Both zidovudine and lamivudine belong to the nucleoside analogue class of antiretroviral drugs. Both drugs act by terminating the growth of the dna chain and inhibiting the reverse transcriptase (rt) of hiv. Nevirapine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (nnrti). It acts by directly inhibiting rt. Each tablet of Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) contains half of the commonly prescribed daily doses of zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine. Usually, all three drugs are to be administered twice daily, permitting a fixed-dose combination to be formulated. With the availability of this combination formulation, patients may be better able to adhere to triple drug regimens, thereby enhancing compliance.

Uses of the drug:

This medicine is used for HIV infections. HIV is Human Immunodeficiency Virus; this virus is responsible for spreading AIDS disease. HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusion, mother to child during pregnancy and through sexual contact with infected persons etc.

How does Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) work?

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) contain a combination of three antiretroviral drugs; nevirapine, zidovudine and lamivudine, which are effective only against RNA viruses (retroviruses) like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). These three drugs each work by inhibiting the action of the viral-specific enzyme reverse transcriptase (RT) which is needed for the virus to be able to replicate. Retroviruses convert RNA to DNA, which is then integrated into the DNA of infected immune cells so that the virus can replicate. Nevirapine in Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI); nucleosides are the precursors to the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Nevirapine in Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) acts by binding to a specific site on the RT enzyme, the enzyme's active site known as the NNRTI pocket, disrupting the catalytic site of the enzyme, and blocking its action in a manner that is noncompetitive with nucleosides. Zidovudine and lamivudine are both nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), which means that they block the action of RT by competing with one of the nucleosides needed to transcribe the viral RNA into DNA, becoming incorporated into the chain of newly synthesized viral DNA and preventing it from growing (chain termination). Zidovudine is an analogue of thymidine and lamivudine is an analogue of cytidine. The combined action of the three antiiretroviral drugs in Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) prevents the integration of the virus into the DNA of the infected CD4+ immune cell by 2 different mechanisms, which inhibits the replication of HIV so that no more virus can be produced, and this reduces the viral load (amount of virus). Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) slows down the replication of HIV within your body but does not kill the virus already incorporated in the CD4+ cells or prevent the spread of the infection to others.

Dosage Adjustment

Because Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) is a fixed-dose combination, they should not be prescribed for patients requiring dosage adjustment such as those with reduced renal function (creatinine clearance <50 ml/min), or hepatic impairment, or those experiencing dose-limiting adverse events.

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) should be discontinued if patients experience severe rash or a rash accompanied by constitutional findings (see warnings and precautions). Patients experiencing mild to moderate rash during the 14-day lead-in period of 200 mg/day should not have their nevirapine dose increased or start therapy with Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) tuntil the rash has resolved (see warnings and precautions). If rash persists beyond the 14-day lead-in period, do not dose escalate to Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) twice daily. The Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) once-daily dosing regimen should not be continued beyond 28 days, after which an alternative regimen should be sought.

If a clinical (symptomatic) hepatic event occurs, nevirapine should be permanently discontinued and not be restarted after recovery .

Patients who interrupt nevirapine dosing for more than 7 days should restart the recommended dosing, using one 200 mg nevirapine tablet daily for the first 14 days (lead-in) in combination with the lamivudine + zidovudine, followed by Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) twice daily in the absence of any signs of hypersensitivity.

Before you take this drug:

Do not take this drug if you:

• Are allergic to this drug or any of the other ingredients of this medicine
• Are pregnant, take all the medicine for HIV prescribed by the doctor, to prevent the spread of HIV to the unborn baby.
• Are breastfeeding or planning to breast feed
• Have very low WBC/ RBC count

Tell your doctor if you:

• Have kidney problems
• Have liver abnormalities
• Have problem related to pancreas
• Have nervous system abnormalities
• Have muscle related problems

Dosage:

How much to take the drug?

Lamivudine dosage may depend on a range of factors like age, sex, drug allergies, or seriousness of the condition among several other factors. Your dosage will be determined by your doctor after examining you properly.

The recommended dose in children/adults having a body weight above 25 kg or more is one tablet twice in a day. Children weighing below 25 kg are not recommended to take the drug.

How to take the drug?

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) comes as capsule and is taken orally with water. Take this medication with a full glass of water. Follow the directions given by the doctor on your prescription carefully and take is exactly as directed by the doctor. Do not take more or less than the prescription.

Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) can be taken with or without food. Discuss the time of the day the drug should be taken with your doctor and take the capsule as prescribed by him. Take the dose at the correct time and that too the correct quantity because the improvement of the condition of the patient depends upon the correct dose taken at correct time.

For how long to take it?

Continue to take the drug for as long as the doctor recommends. Do not stop taking the medicines without consulting the doctor. Stopping the dose or taking it more often than recommended may cause an increase in the amount of viruses and will make this situation worse and difficult to treat.

Overdose:

Too much Duovir-N (Lamivudine 150mg, Zidovudine 300 mg and Nevirapine 200mg Tablets) or in fact of any other drug is ought to cause some or the other kind of changes in the body. These changes sometimes might be severe and harmful. So, one should never exceed the dose without recommendation from the doctor. In such a case, visit nearest healthcare center or call the emergency helpline number.

Side effects of the drug:

Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Stuffy nose
• Muscle pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Joint pain
• Vision changes
• Skin rashes, hives and itching
• Tiredness
• Heat intolerance
• Thyroid gland enlargement or goiter
• Increased bruising or bleeding
• Signs of pancreatitis

In above situations you must go for immediate medical help. Do not get alarmed by the list. You may /may not experience all of them. Tell your doctor immediately in the above situations. Discuss with him about the risks and benefits of this treatment.

Common drug interactions:

There are certain drugs that might interfere in the action of the other drugs. Some interactions may result in serious side effects. The following drugs interact with this drug:

• Interferon Alfa
• Probenecid
• Ribavirin
• Stavudine
• Zalcitabine

Some medicines are involved in the removal of Zidovudine such as Fluconazole, Rifampin, and Valproic Acid.

Tell your doctor about all the drugs you have taken in past or are taking including the herbal drugs. Ask your doctor to get the full list of the drugs needed to be avoided while taking the drug as they may interfere it and may cause adverse effects.

Warning:

Things to remember:

• This drug will not keep you from spreading HIV to others so, take the necessary precautions
• The serious effects of this drug mostly occur in women and obese people
• Tell the doctor immediately if the liver problems worsens
• Keep regular contact with your doctor in case of emergency
• Patients should never miss the dose as it’s a part of combination therapy

• Availability: In Stock
• Model: Duovir-N
• Brand: Cipla