This manual concentrates on side effects on the most widely used drugs globally in first-line therapy: d4T, 3TC, AZT, nevirapine and efavirenz. As d4T use has been reduced in many countries, the side effects related to d4T will be hopefully be seen less often.

You may have access to other drugs for first-line therapy or second-line therapy. The following side effects are related to other drugs:

• Fatigue – feeling tired: most ARVs
• Dry skin, nail problems, hair loss, frozen shoulde: indinavir, 3TC
• Abacavir hypersensitivity reaction: abacavir, Trizivir, Epzicom, Kivexa
• Kidney toxicity including kidney stones: tenofovir, Truvada, indinavir
• Increased bilirubin and jaundice: atazanavir, indinavir
• Increased cholesterol and triglycerides: protease inhibitors
• Increased blood sugar and risk of type 2 diabetes; protease inhibitors
• Injection site reactions and other side effects: T-20

If ARVs makes you feel unwell – even if it’s not serious – you should tell your doctor.

Finding information on drugs and side effects

If you are using drugs that are not included in the WHO recommended first line combinations, the Internet provides information about the drugs and side effects. Sites with good information (in English) on drugs and side effects include:

The i-Base Guide to HIV and Quality of Life includes an online review of these and other side effects.

http://i-base.info/guides

i-Base also has online information on each drug with links to the full prescribing information.

An excellent and impressive set of basic factsheets on every drug are online in English and Spanish at AIDS infonet
www.aidsinfonet.org

Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) publications include an online review of each HIV drug.
http://tpan.com/publications/publications.shtml