Q and A

Question

What is Atroiza used for?

5 July 2016. Related: Access to treatment, All topics, PEP/PEPSE.

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Atroiza is a combination pill that contains three HIV drugs. It is a generic version of Atripla.

It is mainly used to treat HIV.

However, in some countries the same drugs (efavirenz/tenofovirDF/emtricitabine) are used as PEP to prevent HIV infection.

This is not recommended in the UK or in other guidelines. which recommend different HIV drugs for PEP. This is because of concerns about efavirenz side effects in HIV negative people.

See: PEP, PEPSE and PrEP.

177 comments

  1. Crissy •

    My cd4 count is 1780 homeopathy doctor recommended that I stop taking my Atrioza and eat healthy organic food. Viral load has always been undetected even before I started on arv

  2. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi Lerato, Atroiza is not used as PEP because it contains efavirenz. This is a medication that can cause some serious mental side effects. As PEP is a short course the body does not have time to adjust to this. TLD is usually offered first as PEP. This medication is tolerated much better than Atroiza. If there are no other options, Atroiza would be able to work as PEP but it is important that you are aware of the side effects. PEP: https://i-base.info/guides/testing/pep-and-pepse

  3. Lerato •

    Hi

    I sleep with someone who is hiv and I went to the clinic the following day, they gave me Atroiza pills to prevent hiv from infecting me .they said I should drink them for 28 days to prevent it ..does it really work as Prep or should I be worried

  4. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi Mahlodi, you do not need to be worried. While they are slightly different combinations of drug, they work just as well as each other.

    Very commonly in South Africa, people are being switch from Atroiza (a generic version of Atripla) to Reydin (a generic version of TLD). This is because Reydin is generally tolerated much better by people as it has fewer side effects. The main one being it does not affect mood.

    It may be more suitable to take Reydin in the morning as some people do report problems sleeping. This side effect is avoided by taking the medication in the morning.

    Switching between these medications is not going to affect your viral load suppression.

  5. Mahlodi •

    Hallo I was taking atroiza since 2021, then I moved to cape Town. Then at the clinic the changed my medication, they changed me from atroiza to Reydin. Should I be worried?

  6. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi Nomvula, in what context are you taking Atroiza. Are you wanting it to prevent HIV, suppress HIV, or stop HIV after a risky exposure?

  7. Nomvula •

    Can I use atroiza to protect my self on HIV

  8. Josh Peasegood •

    Hi Sidney, it is possible. Atrioza and PrEP (Truavda) do both contain tenofovir but there is other differences. You should not be using Atroiza as PrEP. Please follow this link to read more: https://i-base.info/guides/prep

  9. Sidney •

    Will atroiza reduce the risk of being infected after having sex with HIV positive partner while I’m I’m negative?.

  10. Simon Collins •

    Hi Welcom – the doctor has prescribed Atroiza as PEP. See this link for more information:
    https://i-base.info/guides/testing/pep-and-pepse
    Atroiza is not recommended as PEP in the UK but it is used in some other countries.