AEGiS-GMHC: Treatment Briefs: Starting Ritonavir Gay Men's Health CrisisImportant note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Click here to return to Gay Men's Health Crisis main menu
DonateNow
Print this Article


Treatment Briefs: Starting Ritonavir

GMHC Treatment Issues, Vol. 10, No. 4 - April 1996

Abbott Laboratories claims that the nausea commonly associated with its protease inhibitor ritonavir (brand name: Norvir) goes away after the first few weeks in most people. The digestive upset can be minimized by progressively increasing the initial dose. But the initiation regimen contained in the package insert is too quick, Abbott officials now indicate. The following schedule is now thought to be the best way to begin ritonavir (the drug is supplied in 100 mg capsules): First and second day: Take 300 mg twice a day. Third and fourth day: 400 mg twice a day. Fifth and sixth day: 500 mg twice a day. If you are having a problem, stay at this dose. If not, go up to 600 mg twice a day by the end of two weeks.

These instructions will not necessarily do away entirely with the gastrointestinal upset. What you eat with ritonavir is important as well. Take ritonavir with a full meal, particularly a fat-rich meal. Ingest the capsules one at a time with a generous quantity of milk or whatever you find most useful. At least one person with AIDS washes down his ritonavir with yogurt rather than a fluid drink.


960401
GM100405

Copyright © 1996 - Treatment Issues. Reproduced with permission. Treatment Issues is published twelve times yearly by GMHC, Inc. All rights reserved. Noncommercial reproduction is encouraged. Subscription lists are kept confidential. GMHC Treatment Issues, The Tisch Building, 119 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011  fredg@gmhc.org  http://www.gmhc.org

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .