Q and A

Question

Can I switch to take meds in the morning instead of the evening?

I have just started treatment this week on a combination of truvada, ritonavir and atazanavir.

I have started taking them in the evening but with my work I now think moving to taking them at breakfast would be easier.

Can I just start doing that or is it more complicated than that now I’ve started?

Answer

Hi

There is a lot of flexibility in timing to find what works best for you.

With the meds in your combination is also easy to switch from evening to morning. Take your last evening dose at the usual time, and then take another dose the next morning at the time you want to take them. You are doing this to make sure you never leave more than 24 hours between doses, when the drug levels could drop too low and risk resistance.

Your drug levels will be slightly higher for the first few hours of dose the next day. This is unlikely to be a risk because there is already a wide range of variability in drug levels achieved by different people.

If you are worried about this, your last evening dose could be taken without the ritonavir, but this might be unecessarily cautious.

The only meds that really need to be taken at night are efavirenz and rilpivirine, or the combined pills that include these meds (Atripla and Complera).

Your HIV pharmacist would also be able to talk to you about this on the phone if you want to check this with the clinic first.

54 comments

  1. Josh Peasegood

    Hi Lilian, please speak with your doctor/pharmacist about when you can take your treatment. i-base is an HIV treatment charity and we are not doctors. We do not provide information/advice about other medication/illnesses.

  2. Lilian

    I have been taking Entrip 10mg for about 8 weeks and I usually take them at night.The doctor has chaged me to Dytrex 30mg. I would like to take them in the morning instead of night time. Is it possible

  3. Josh Peasegood

    Hi Angel, yes you can switch the time of your treatment. What is the name of the treatment you are taking? Some HIV treatments are recommended to be taken at certain times to avoid side effects.

    If you are switching from night to morning, you can take your night dose as normal. It will then be okay to take your next dose in the morning the following day. One occasion with taking your treatment 12 hours apart is not going to be a problem.

    You can then continue with your treatment as normal taking it in the morning instead of the evenings.

  4. Angel

    Hi can i switch to taking pill from night to morning?
    And how it works?

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