Manufacturer: Generic, India
Pharmaceutical name: Pack: 1 tab (40 mg)
Zerit is an antiviral medication that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in the body. HIV attacks the immune system, slowly destroying the body's ability to fight off infection.
Zerit is used to treat HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.
Zerit may also be used for other purposes not listed.
Important information about Zerit
Zerit can also cause severe or life-threatening effects on your liver or pancreas. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these symptoms while taking Zerit: severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, fast heart rate, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, low fever, dark urine, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Before taking Zerit, tell your doctor if you have kidney disease, liver disease, a history of pancreatitis, or if you have used a medicine similar to stavudine in the past, such as abacavir (Ziagen), didanosine (Videx), lamivudine (Epivir), tenofovir (Viread), zalcitabine (Hivid), or zidovudine (Retrovir).
Some people have developed a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis while taking Zerit. Early signs of lactic acidosis generally get worse over time and this condition can be fatal. Get emergency medical help if you have even mild symptoms of lactic acidosis, such as: muscle pain or weakness, numb or cold feeling in your arms and legs, trouble breathing, stomach pain, nausea with vomiting, fast or uneven heart rate, dizziness, or feeling very weak or tired.
Contraindications
Zerit cannot be used in the patients with hypersensitivity to stavudine and other components of the drug, and also in children under 3 months of age.
Side effects
The most frequent side effects are a decrease in blood cells, muscle pain (myopathy), pancreatitis, liver failure and metabolic disturbance (lactic acidosis), a severe peripheral neuropathy (numbness and pain in the feet or hands, tingling, abdominal pain, weight loss, chills, rash, and insomnia).
