Tivicay

Common use

Tivicay is an antiviral medicine that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from multiplying in your body. Tivicay is used with other antiviral medications to treat HIV, the virus that can cause the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Dosage and direction

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. You may take Tivicay with or without food. Do not crush or chew a Tivicay tablet. Swallow the tablet whole.

Precautions

Tell your doctor if you have ever had: liver disease, especially hepatitis B or C.
You may need to have a negative pregnancy test before starting treatment with Tivicay.

Contraindications

You should not use Tivicay if you are allergic to dolutegravir, or if you are also taking dofetilide (Tikosyn).
Tivicay may harm an unborn baby if you take the medicine at the time of conception or during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Use effective birth control to prevent pregnancy, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant.
Women with HIV or AIDS should not breastfeed a baby. Even if your baby is born without HIV, the virus may be passed to the baby in your breast milk.

Possible side effect

Common Tivicay side effects may include: headache; tiredness; or sleep problems (insomnia).

Drug interaction

Some medicines can make dolutegravir much less effective when taken at the same time. If you take any of the following medicines, take your Tivicay dose 2 hours before or 6 hours after you take the other medicine: antacids or laxatives that contain calcium, magnesium, or aluminum (such as Amphojel, Di-Gel Maalox, Milk of Magnesia, Mylanta, Pepcid Complete, Rolaids, Rulox, Tums, and others), or the ulcer medicine sucralfate (Carafate); buffered medicine; or vitamin or mineral supplements that contain calcium or iron (but if you take Tivicay with food, you can take these supplements at the same time).
Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially: oral diabetes medication that contains metformin; tuberculosis medication that contains rifampin; St. John's wort; other HIV or AIDS medicines - efavirenz, etravirine, fosamprenavir/ritonavir, nevirapine, tipranavir/ritonavir; or seizure medication - carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin.

Missed dose

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

Overdose

Seek emergency medical attention.

Storage

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep the tablets in their original container. Keep away from children and pets.