Edurant

Generic Name: rilpivirine (RIL pi VIR een)
Brand Names: Edurant

What is Edurant?

Edurant (rilpivirine) is an antiviral medication that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in your body.

Edurant is used to treat HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This medicine is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.

Do not take Edurant as your only HIV medication. Rilpivirine must be used in combination with other HIV medicines that your doctor has prescribed.

Edurant may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Edurant

The following drugs should not be used while you are taking Edurant: carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Teril, Epitol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenobarbital (Solfoton, Luminal), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek), rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifater, Rifadin, Rifamate, Rimactane), rifapentine (Priftin), esomeprazole (Nexium, Vimovo), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), rabeprazole (Aciphex), St John's wort, delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva, Atripla), etravirine (Intelence), nevirapine (Viramune), or more than one dose of dexamethasone (Cortastat, Dexasone, Solurex, DexPak). Using any of these medicines while you are taking Edurant can cause serious medical problems or death.

There are many other medicines that can interact with Edurant, or make it less effective. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Before you take Edurant, tell your doctor if you have liver disease (including hepatitis B or C), kidney disease, a history of depression or mental illness, or if you have ever taken any HIV medication in the past.

Do not take Edurant as your only HIV medication. HIV/AIDS is usually treated with a combination of different drugs. Your disease may become resistant to Edurant if you do not take it in combination with other HIV medicines your doctor has prescribed. Call your doctor at once if you have mood changes, anxiety, severe depression, feeling hopeless, or thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Taking Edurant will not prevent you from passing HIV to other people.

Before taking Edurant

You should not use Edurant if you are allergic to rilpivirine. There are many other drugs that can cause serious or life threatening medical problems if you take them together with Edurant. The following drugs should not be used while you are taking Edurant:

• carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Teril, Epitol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenobarbital (Solfoton, Luminal), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek);

• rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifater, Rifadin, Rifamate, Rimactane), rifapentine (Priftin);

• esomeprazole (Nexium, Vimovo), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), rabeprazole (Aciphex);

• more than one dose of dexamethasone (Cortastat, Dexasone, Solurex, DexPak);

• St John's wort; or

• delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva, Atripla), etravirine (Intelence), or nevirapine (Viramune).

To make sure you can safely take Edurant, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

• liver disease (including hepatitis B or C);

• kidney disease;

• a history of depression or mental illness; or

• if you have ever taken any HIV medication in the past.

FDA pregnancy category B. Edurant is not expected to harm an unborn baby, but HIV can be passed to your baby if you are not properly treated during pregnancy. Take all of your HIV medicines as directed to control your infection. If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry. This is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and to evaluate any effects of Edurant on the baby. Women with HIV or AIDS should not breast feed a baby. Even if your baby is born without HIV, the virus may be passed to the baby in your breast milk.

See also: Edurant pregnancy and breastfeeding warnings (in more detail)

How should I take Edurant?

Take Edurant exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Edurant is usually taken once per day with a meal. Always take the medicine with food.

Use Edurant regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely.

To be sure Edurant is helping your condition and is not causing harmful effects, your blood will need to be tested often. Your liver function may also need to be tested. Visit your doctor regularly.

HIV/AIDS is usually treated with a combination of drugs. Use all medications as directed by your doctor. Read the medication guide or patient instructions provided with each medication. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without your doctor's advice. Every person with HIV or AIDS should remain under the care of a doctor.

Store Edurant at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

See also: Edurant dosage (in more detail)

What happens if I miss a dose?

If you are less than 12 hours late in taking your medicine, take the missed dose with food as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What should I avoid while taking Edurant?

If you also take an antacid, take it at least 2 hours before or 4 hours after taking Edurant. Do not take an antacid and Edurant at the same time.

If you also take a stomach acid reducer, take it at least 12 hours before or 4 hours after taking Edurant. This includes cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), and ranitidine (Zantac). Do not take Edurant and this type of stomach medicine at the same time.

Taking Edurant will not prevent you from passing HIV to other people. Avoid having unprotected sex or sharing razors or toothbrushes. Talk with your doctor about safe ways to prevent HIV transmission during sex. Sharing drug or medicine needles is never safe, even for a healthy person.

Edurant side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction to Edurant: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects while taking Edurant:

• mood changes, anxiety, severe depression, feeling hopeless, thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself;

• fever, chills, cough with yellow or green mucus;

• stabbing chest pain, wheezing, feeling short of breath; or

• severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your shoulder or back, stomach bloating, nausea and vomiting, sweating, fever, chills, loss of appetite.

Less serious Edurant side effects may include:

• sleep problems (insomnia), unusual dreams;

• mild nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea;

• headache, dizziness;

• mild skin rash;

• tired feeling; or

• changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in your arms, legs, face, neck, breasts, and waist).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

See also: Edurant side effects (in more detail)

What other drugs will affect Edurant?

Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:

• arsenic trioxide (Trisenox);

• bosentan (Tracleer);

• conivaptan (Vaprisol);

• imatinib (Gleevec);

• isoniazid (for treating tuberculosis);

• tacrolimus (Prograf);

• an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate), rifapentine (Priftin), pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam), or telithromycin (Ketek);

• an antidepressant such as amitriptylline (Elavil, Vanatrip, Limbitrol), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), or nefazodone;

• anti-malaria medications such as chloroquine (Aralen) or mefloquine (Lariam);

• antifungal medication such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), posaconazole (Noxafil), or voriconazole (Vfend);

• a barbiturate such as butabarbital (Butisol), secobarbital (Seconal), or pentobarbital (Nembutal);

• heart or blood pressure medication such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), dofetilide (Tikosyn), disopyramide (Norpace), dronedarone (Multaq), ibutilide (Corvert), nicardipine (Cardene), procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl), propafenone (Rythmol), quinidine (Quin-G), sotalol (Betapace), verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan), and others;

• medicines to treat narcolepsy, such as armodafanil (Nuvigil) or modafanil (Progivil);

• medicine to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting such as dolasetron (Anzemet), droperidol (Inapsine), or ondansetron (Zofran);

• medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clozapine (FazaClo, Clozaril), haloperidol (Haldol), pimozide (Orap), thioridazine (Mellaril), or ziprasidone (Geodon);

• migraine headache medicine such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Treximet) or zolmitriptan (Zomig);

• narcotic medication such as methadone (Methadose, Diskets, Dolophine); or

• other HIV medicines such as atazanavir (Reyataz), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra), or saquinavir (Invirase).

This list is not complete and there are many other medicines that can interact with Edurant, or make it less effective. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about Edurant.