Retrovir is Also Known as AZT

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has no cure yet, but there are drugs such as Retrovir (also known as AZT) to treat the symptoms and slow its progression. Retrovir or generic Zidovudine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) medication prescribed to help decrease the amount of virus in your body. Although Retrovir does not cure HIV, it may decrease your chance of developing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HIV-related illnesses such as serious infections or cancer.

How NRTI’s Work in Your Body

Retrovir or generic Zidovudine prevents HIV from changing the genetic material of healthy CD4 cells so it can produce new viruses. This reduces your viral load and helps raise your CD4 cell count so the virus is less likely to progress into acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The generic alternative is not manufactured by the company that makes the brand product.

Your doctor may recommend a combination of three or four antiretroviral drugs to create multiple obstacles for HIV to lower the chance of a mutation being produced that may become resistant to one of the drugs, as well as to target the virus during different stages of growth and reproduction.

Conditions Treated by Retrovir

HIV is a retrovirus, which means that it needs to insert itself into a host cell in order to grow and produce new viral cells. As it begins taking over CD4 cells (a type of white blood cell), the amount of HIV in your body increases and your immune system becomes suppressed. This leaves you more vulnerable to other infections that can be life threatening when you have no defense system to fight it off.

Taking Retrovir can help decrease the virus population and improve the level of CD4 cells that are now able to help fend off other threats. Retrovir will not protect you from passing HIV to your partner or spouse so caution and common sense must prevail when it comes to exposing anyone to your body fluids.

Retrovir is also used to help prevent pregnant women who have HIV infection from passing the virus to their child during birth. Retrovir or generic Zidovudine is also given to the baby once it is born to treat any HIV infection that might have been passed to it from the mother during delivery.

Before You Take Retrovir

Explain other medical conditions you have to your doctor as Retrovir may not interact as well as it should. Provide information about any Rx medicine and OTC drugs you are taking, including homeopathic remedies and vitamin supplements as any of these could cause unintended side effects when combined with Retrovir. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are breast-feeding to eliminate the risk of exposing your unborn or nursing baby to HIV.

Proper Use and Recommendations for Retrovir

While taking this medicine you should have regular blood tests to allow your doctor to monitor the number of white and red blood cells in your blood. Retrovir can sometimes cause a decrease in the numbers of white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets in your blood. All medications should be kept out of sight and reach of children and never shared with anyone else.

Possible Side Effects of Retrovir

• Severe headache
• Problems sleeping
• Weight loss
• Heartburn
• Nausea

Drugs Similar to Retrovir

• Ziagen
• Truvada
• Trizivir