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Talking With Your Doctor
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As you know, it is important to take good care of your health on a daily basis. That includes working closely with your doctor and healthcare team. The tips and checklist below may help you in discussions with your doctor.

Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your visit with your healthcare provider:

  • Write down your questions before you go. This will help you address all your concerns when you're in the doctor's office.
  • Make a list of new and existing HIV symptoms you're experiencing and treatment side effects.
  • Tell your doctor about any new medications you are taking, including prescription medications, as well as over the counter treatments, homeopathic treatments, or herbal supplements.
  • Be sure to tell your doctor about any other health conditions you may have.
  • Bring a pen and paper to take notes. It will help you later on to have a written account of your doctor's answers and advice.
  • Be 100% honest with your doctor about:
    • How well you have been taking your HIV medications
    • Problems, such as depression or anxiety
    • Having unprotected sex
    • Drug use
  • Educate yourself about HIV-related issues, such as the occurrence of drug resistance and symptoms of opportunistic infections, before you go. The more you know, the easier it will be to talk about the more complicated aspects of the disease and its treatment when you're talking with your doctor.

What to Ask

  • What are my treatment options?
  • What are the benefits, risks, and side effects of the antiretroviral medications that have been recommended for me?
  • What symptoms and side effects might I experience and when should I call my doctor?
  • If I do experience side effects, how will they be treated?
  • Are there any medications I should not take?
  • How do I know if my treatment is working for me?
  • What can I do to improve my health?
  • What can I do to reduce the chance of transmitting the virus to others?

If you would like to take a copy of this checklist with you when you go to the doctor, you can click here for a printable version.

Indication

PREZISTA™ is a prescription medication. It is one treatment option in the class of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) medicines known as protease inhibitors (PI).

PREZISTA™ is always used with 100 mg ritonavir (Norvir®) in combination with other HIV medicines for the treatment of HIV infection in treatment-experienced adult patients, such as those with HIV resistant to more than one PI.

  • The use of other medications active against your HIV in combination with PREZISTA™/ritonavir (Norvir®) may increase the likelihood of your overall treatment response. Your healthcare professional will work with you to find the right combination of other HIV meds.
  • The long-term benefits and side effects of PREZISTA™ therapy are unknown at this time. It is important that you remain under the care of your healthcare professional.

PREZISTA™ is not approved for the treatment of HIV infection in adult patients who have never taken HIV medications before or in pediatric patients.

PREZISTA™ does not cure HIV infection or AIDS, and does not prevent passing HIV to others.

Please read Important Safety Information below, and talk to your doctor to learn more about PREZISTA™.

Important Safety Information

  • Do not take PREZISTA™ if you are allergic to PREZISTA™ or any of its ingredients, or ritonavir (Norvir®).
  • Please refer to the ritonavir (Norvir®) Product Information (PI and PPI) for additional information on precautionary measures.
  • Taking PREZISTA™ with certain medicines could cause serious and/or life-threatening side effects or may result in loss of its effectiveness. Do not take PREZISTA™ if you are taking the following medicines: astemizole (Hismanal® ), terfenadine (Seldane®), dihydroergotamine ( D.H.E.45®, Migranal® ), ergonovine, ergotamine (Wigraine®, Ergostat®, Cafergot®, Ergomar® ), methylergonovine, cisapride (Propulsid® ), pimozide (Orap® ), midazolam (Versed® ), triazolam (Halcion® ), rifampin (Rifadin®, Rifater®, Rifamate® ), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra® ), saquinavir (Invirase®), lovastatin ( Mevacor® ), pravastatin (Pravachol® ), simvastatin (Zocor® ), carbamazepine (Tegretol®, Carbatrol® ), phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin®, Phenytek® ), or products containing St. John's Wort.
  • Before taking PREZISTA™, tell your doctor if you are taking sildenafil (Viagra® ), vardenafil (Levitra® ), tadalafil (Cialis® ), atorvastatin (Lipitor®), atorvastatin/amlodipine (Caduet®), or rosuvastatin (Crestor®). This is not a complete list of medicines. Be sure to tell your doctor about all the medicines you are taking or plan to take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
  • Tell your doctor if you are taking estrogen-based contraceptives. PREZISTA™ might reduce the effectiveness of estrogen-based contraceptives. You must take additional precautions for birth control, such as a condom.
  • Before taking PREZISTA™, tell your doctor if you have any medical conditions, including allergy to sulfa medicines, diabetes, liver problems (including hepatitis B or C) or hemophilia.
  • Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding.
    • The effects of PREZISTA™ on pregnant women or their unborn babies are not known. You and your doctor will need to decide if taking PREZISTA™ is right for you.
    • You should not breastfeed if you have HIV or are taking PREZISTA™.
  • Liver problems, which may be life-threatening, have been reported with the use of PREZISTA™. It was not always clear if PREZISTA™ caused these liver problems. Patients with liver disease such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C may have worsening of their liver disease with PREZISTA™. Your healthcare professional should perform blood tests prior to and during your treatment with PREZISTA™.
  • Skin rashes ranging from mild to severe or life-threatening have been reported in some patients receiving a PREZISTA™-ritonavir regimen. Contact your doctor if you develop a rash.
  • High blood sugar, diabetes or worsening of diabetes, and increased bleeding in people with hemophilia have been reported in patients taking protease inhibitor medicines like PREZISTA™.
  • Changes in body fat have been seen in some patients taking anti-HIV medicines. The cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known at this time.
  • As with other protease inhibitors, taking PREZISTA™ may strengthen the body's immune response, enabling it to begin to fight infections that have been hidden. Patients may experience signs and symptoms of inflammation that can include swelling, tenderness or redness.
  • The most common side effects include diarrhea, nausea, headache, and common cold. If you experience these or other symptoms, talk to your doctor. Do not stop taking PREZISTA™ or any other medications without first talking to your doctor.

PREZISTA™ should always be taken twice a day with and at the same time as 100 mg ritonavir (Norvir®), in combination with other anti-HIV medicines as prescribed by your doctor. PREZISTA™ should also be taken with food (the type of food is not important).

Please see the full Product Information in PDF format for more details.

The third party trademarks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

©Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Ortho Biotech Products, L.P. 2008. All rights reserved.

Your use of the information on this site is subject to the terms of our Legal Notice. Please see our Privacy Policy. This site is published by Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Ortho Biotech Products, L.P. which is solely responsible for its contents.

The material on this sites is intended only as informational or as an educational aid and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. The ultimate responsibility for patient care resides with a healthcare professional.

This information is intended for the use of our customers, patients and healthcare professionals in the United States only. Laws, regulatory requirements and medical practices for pharmaceutical products vary from country to country. The Prescribing Information included here may not be appropriate for use outside the United States.

PREZISTA is a trademark of Tibotec, Inc.

This site was last updated on: Jun 02 2008 at 09:52:48 EDT.