Ziagen Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Ziagen Tablet contains abacavir (as abacavir sulfate), a nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor used together with other antiretroviral medicines to treat HIV infection. It is used in adults, adolescents, and children aged 3 months and older to help reduce viral load and support CD4 cell counts. Ziagen does not cure HIV or AIDS but helps control the virus in the body. It must always be taken as part of combination therapy and exactly as prescribed.

What is Ziagen Tablet

Ziagen is a prescription antiviral medicine that contains abacavir. It is used along with other HIV medicines to treat HIV infection in adults and children. It is not a cure for HIV or AIDS, but it helps control the virus in your body.

Ziagen Tablet uses

• Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, used together with other antiretroviral medicines
• Used in adults, adolescents, and children aged 3 months and older
• Treats HIV-1 infection
• Helps reduce HIV viral load
• Helps maintain CD4 cell counts
• Used as part of combination antiretroviral therapy

Benefits of Ziagen Tablet

• Reduces the amount of HIV virus in the body and keeps it at a low level
• Increases the CD4 cell count in the blood, which helps the body fight infection
• Supports long-term viral suppression
• Helps protect immune-system function
• Provides once- or twice-daily oral dosing
• Can be combined with other HIV medicines

How Ziagen Tablet works

Ziagen contains abacavir, which blocks an HIV enzyme called reverse transcriptase that the virus needs to copy itself. This stops the virus from multiplying and reduces the amount of virus in the body.

Ziagen Tablet dosage

Ziagen can be taken with or without food. Tablets should ideally be swallowed whole without crushing; if you cannot swallow tablets, they may be crushed and mixed with a small amount of soft food or liquid and taken right away. Always take it together with other antiretroviral medicines, never alone. Take it exactly as directed by your healthcare professional, and take it regularly, since taking it at irregular times may increase the risk of an allergic reaction.

If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember, then continue your normal schedule; do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. If you stop taking this medicine for any reason, including illness or side effects, talk to your healthcare professional before starting it again, to make sure you did not have a hypersensitivity reaction. Children should be assessed for their ability to swallow tablets before being prescribed them; if a child cannot reliably swallow tablets, the oral solution should be used instead.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet (300 mg abacavir)
• Oral solution (20 mg/mL abacavir)

Side effects of Ziagen Tablet

Common

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Lack of energy, tiredness
• Fever
• Headache
• Rash
• Trouble sleeping, unusual dreams
• General ill feeling, chills

Serious

• Serious, sometimes fatal, allergic (hypersensitivity) reaction
• Lactic acidosis (build-up of acid in the blood) and severe liver problems, including enlarged liver
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• Serious skin reactions such as erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis
• Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome and autoimmune disorders (such as Graves' disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome)
• Heart attack
• Changes in body fat distribution

Warnings and precautions

• This medicine can cause serious, sometimes fatal, allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions. If you notice two or more symptoms such as fever, rash, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea/stomach pain, extreme tiredness, or shortness of breath/cough/sore throat, stop the medicine and contact your healthcare professional right away.
• If you have ever stopped this medicine because of an allergic reaction, you must never take it or any other abacavir-containing medicine again, as restarting can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure or death within hours.
• If you stop this medicine for any other reason, even a few days, talk to your doctor before restarting it, because taking it again can sometimes cause a serious or life-threatening reaction even if you were not allergic before.
• This medicine belongs to a class that can cause a rare but serious condition called lactic acidosis along with an enlarged liver, which can be fatal.
• Some HIV medicines, including this one, may increase the risk of heart attack, especially in people who smoke or have other heart disease risk factors.
• You should be tested for a gene called HLA-B*5701 before starting this medicine, because people with this gene have a much higher risk of a serious allergic reaction.
• Ziagen has not been well studied in pregnant women, so it should only be used during pregnancy if your doctor decides the benefits outweigh the risks.
•  If you take it while pregnant, you may be asked to join a registry that tracks outcomes for mothers and babies.
• You should not breastfeed while taking Ziagen, because HIV and the medicine itself can pass to your baby through breast milk.
• No dose change is usually needed for people with kidney problems, based on available data.
• This medicine should not be used by people with moderate or severe liver disease. People with mild liver disease may need a lower dose and closer monitoring.
• Drinking alcohol while taking this medicine can increase the amount of the drug in your blood, though this is not considered a major concern for most men; it has not been studied in women.
• Do not drive or use machines unless you are feeling well, as this medicine has not been specifically studied for effects on driving ability.

Storage

• Store tablets between 15°C and 30°C
• Store oral solution between 15°C and 25°C
• Keep out of the reach and sight of children
• Do not use after the expiry date shown on the bottle or carton
• Return unused medicine to your pharmacist or healthcare professional for safe disposal, especially if you have had an allergic reaction to this medicine

When to see a doctor

• Get medical help immediately if you notice two or more of: fever; rash; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or stomach pain; extreme tiredness or achiness; or shortness of breath, cough, or sore throat.
• Seek immediate medical help for symptoms of lactic acidosis, such as weight loss, tiredness, stomach pain, shortness of breath, or an enlarged liver with nausea, vomiting, or weakness.
• Seek immediate medical help for signs of pancreatitis, such as ongoing stomach pain that worsens when lying down, along with nausea and vomiting.
• Stop the medicine and get medical help right away for signs of a serious skin reaction, including severe rash, itching, fever, swollen lymph nodes, flu-like feeling, or blistering and peeling skin around the mouth, nose, eyes, or genitals.
• Seek medical help for symptoms of a possible heart attack, such as chest pain or discomfort, pain in the jaw, neck, back, or down the left arm, shortness of breath, nausea, or dizziness.
• Contact your healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, or poison control immediately if you think you have taken too much of this medicine, even without symptoms.

Alternatives

• Dolutegravir-based regimens
• Bictegravir-based regimens
• Tenofovir-containing regimens