Zerit Dosage

Generic name: stavudine 15mg
Dosage form: capsules and powder for oral solution
Drug class: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Dec 9, 2024.

The interval between doses of ZERIT (stavudine) should be 12 hours. ZERIT may be taken with or without food.

2.1 Recommended Adult Dosage

The recommended adult dosage is based on body weight as follows:

•: For patients weighing less than 60 kg: 30 mg every 12 hours.
•: For patients weighing at least 60 kg: 40 mg every 12 hours.

2.2 Recommended Pediatric Dosage

•: For newborns from birth to 13 days old: 0.5 mg/kg given every 12 hours.
•: For pediatric patients at least 14 days old and weighing less than 30 kg: 1 mg/kg given every 12 hours.
•: For pediatric patients weighing at least 30 kg: use the recommended adult dosage.

2.3 Dosage Adjustment

Renal Impairment

Adult Patients: ZERIT may be administered to adult patients with impaired renal function with an adjustment in dosage as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Recommended Dosage Adjustment for Adult Patients with Renal Impairment
Creatinine Clearance (mL/min)	Recommended ZERIT Dose by Patient Weight
Creatinine Clearance (mL/min)	at least 60 kg	less than 60 kg
* Administered after the completion of hemodialysis on dialysis days and at the same time of day on non-dialysis days.
greater than 50	40 mg every 12 hours	30 mg every 12 hours
26–50	20 mg every 12 hours	15 mg every 12 hours
10–25	20 mg every 24 hours	15 mg every 24 hours
Hemodialysis	20 mg every 24 hours*	15 mg every 24 hours*

Pediatric Patients: Since urinary excretion is also a major route of elimination of stavudine in pediatric patients, the clearance of stavudine may be altered in children with renal impairment. There are insufficient data to recommend a specific dose adjustment of ZERIT in this patient population.

2.4 Method of Preparation for Oral Solution

Prior to dispensing, the pharmacist must constitute the dry powder with purified water to a concentration of 1 mg stavudine per mL of solution, as follows:

1.: Add 202 mL of purified water to the container.
2.: Shake container vigorously until the powder dissolves completely. Constitution in this way produces 200 mL (deliverable volume) of 1 mg/mL stavudine solution. The solution may appear slightly hazy.
3.: Dispense solution in original container with measuring cup provided. Instruct patient to shake the container vigorously prior to measuring each dose and to store the tightly closed container in a refrigerator, 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F). Discard any unused portion after 30 days.