NAPWA

People who experience ongoing central nervous system (CNS) side effects from the treatment efavirenz will be pleased to know that they may soon be able to take a lower dose of the drug.

A trialA clinical trial is a research study to answer specific questions about vaccines or new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Clinical trials are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe and effective. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work in people. Trials are in four phases: Phase I tests a new drug or treatment in a small group; Phase II expands the study to a larger group of people; Phase III expands the study to an even larger group of people; and Phase IV takes place after the drug or treatment has been licensed and marketed. conducted in the Netherlands has reported that people who show high concentrations of the drug in their blood were able to decrease their dose from 600ml to 400ml without their viral loadA measurement of the quantity of HIV RNA in the blood. Viral load blood test results are expressed as the number of copies (of HIV) per milliliter of blood plasma. becoming detectable. Those with high concentrations are more likely to experience side effects.

But before you start chopping up your pills, it’s important to talk to your doctor and discuss the possibility of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)
– a technique where they measure the quantity of drug in your blood but unfortunately one that is not widely available in Australia.

While dose reduction can be a better option than stopping the treatment altogether, it’s not one you should attempt without support.
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