Efavirenz/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir

Atripla comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It's typically taken once a day.

Each tablet contains:

• 600 milligrams (mg) of efavirenz
• 200 mg of emtricitabine
• 300 mg of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

Take Atripla at bedtime on an empty stomach.

Follow your doctor's instructions carefully when taking this medicine. Don't take more or less Atripla than is recommended.

Atripla Overdose

If you suspect an overdose, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately. You can get in touch with a poison control center at 800-222-1222.

Missed Dose of Atripla

If you miss a dose of Atripla, take it as soon as you remember. But skip the missed dose if it's almost time for your next dose.

Don't take extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.

Efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir is a prescription medication used to treat HIV and AIDS in adults. This medication comes as a single tablet containing three different medications; efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir. Efavirenz belongs to a group of drugs called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, while emtricitabine and tenofovir belong to a group of drugs called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Both classes of drugs decrease the presence of HIV in the blood. 

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken once a day on an empty stomach at bedtime.

Some of the common side effects of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir include dizziness, headache, difficulty sleeping, and drowsiness.

Efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir is used alone or in combination with other anti-HIV-1 medicines to treat people with HIV-1 infection. Efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir is for adults age 18 and over. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir may cause the following serious side effects:

• Lactic acidosis (buildup of an acid in the blood)
• Serious liver problems (hepatotoxicity), with liver enlargement (hepatomegaly) and fat in the liver (steatosis)
• "Flare-ups" of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
• Serious psychiatric problems
• Kidney problems (including decline or failure of kidney function)
• Changes in bone mineral density (thinning bones)

Common side effects:

• dizziness
• headache
• trouble sleeping
• drowsiness
• trouble concentrating
• unusual dreams 
• rash 
• tiredness
• upset stomach 
• vomiting
• gas
• diarrhea
• changes in body fat
• skin discoloration (small spots or freckles)
• symptoms of infection
• inflammation of the pancreas
• allergic reaction (including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat), shortness of breath, pain, stomach pain, weakness and indigestion

This is not a complete list of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

The following medicines may cause serious and life-threatening side effects when taken with efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir. You should not take any of these medicines while taking efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir:

• Hepsera (aclefovir)
• Vascor (bepridil)
• Propulsid (cisapride)
• Versed (midazolam)
• Orap (pimozide)
• Halcion (triazolam)
• ergot medications such as Wigraine and Cafergot
• Vfend (voriconazole)
• St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)

Efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir also should not be used with the following medications because one or more of these are components of the 3 medications found in efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir:

• Combivir (lamivudine/zidovudine)
• Emtriva, Epivir
• Epivir-HBV (lamivudine)
• Epzicom (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine)
• Trizivir (abacavir sulfate/lamivudine/zidovudine)
• Sustiva
• Truvada
• Viread

The following medicines may need to be replaced with another medicine when taken with efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir:

• Calcium channel blockers such as Cardizem or Tiazac (diltiazem)
• Covera HS or Isoptin (verapamil) and others
• Crixivan (indinavir)
• Selzentry (maraviroc) 
• the immunosuppressant medicines such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune, and others)
• Prograf (tacrolimus)
• Rapamune (sirolimus)
• Methadone
• Mycobutin (rifabutin)
• Rifampin 
• cholesterol-lowering medicines such as Lipitor (atorvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin sodium), and Zocor (simvastatin) 
• Zoloft (sertraline)
• Videx, Videx EC (didanosine) 
• tenofovir DF (a component of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir) 
• Reyataz (atazanavir sulfate) or Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir)
• Medicine for seizures [for example, Dilantin (phenytoin), Tegretol (carbamazepine), or phenobarbital]

This is not a complete list of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• Efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth on an empty stomach.
• Take efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir with water at bedtime.
• Do not miss a dose of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir. If you forget to take efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir, take the missed dose right away, unless it is almost time for your next dose. Do not double the next dose.
• Take efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir every day. The amount of virus in your blood may increase if the medicine is stopped for even a short time.