Emtricitabin

Emtricitabine belongs to the class of drugs called antiretroviral drugs. It works by reducing the amount of HIV in your blood, thereby slowing down its spread.

Emtricitabine is helpful in the following conditions:

• The treatment of an HIV infection. You use it alongside other medications to reduce the amount of HIV in your blood.
• Your healthcare provider may also prescribe this medicine if you were exposed to the virus to prevent infection.
• Your healthcare provider may also prescribe this medicine if you have both HIV and Hepatitis C infections at the same time.
• This medicine may be prescribed for other uses, such as Hepatitis B infection.

Emtricitabine is a drug that helps to treat viral infections. Your doctor may use emtricitabine with other medications in the treatment of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This medicine also helps to prevent the risk of spreading the disease to others. It is only available to you when your healthcare provider prescribes it.

• Emtricitabine comes in capsules or liquid taken by mouth with or without food.
• You should not stop taking this medicine on your own (follow your healthcare provider's advice) , even if your symptoms go away. Doing this may make your infection more difficult to treat.
• In case you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember. But if you remember at a time close to your next dose, then take only the next dose.
• If you accidentally take more of this medicine than what was prescribed for you, go to the nearest healthcare provider with the remaining medicine and report the overdose.

Emtricitabine is usually well tolerated. However, you may experience some side-effects, including:

• You may pass frequent watery or loose stools.
• You may feel like vomiting.
• You may feel pain in your bones and muscles.
• You may notice some changes in your eyesight.
• You may find it difficult to breathe.
• You may feel pain while urinating.

The above is not a complete list of side-effects. You should report these and other uncomfortable effects of this medicine to your healthcare provider if they do not resolve after seven days.

Before taking Emtricitabine, inform your healthcare provider:

• If you have had any reactions to Emtricitabine before.
• If you currently take other medicines like aspirin or other HIV drugs. It may not be safe for you to use Emtricitabine with them.
• If you have any chronic illnesses like kidney or liver diseases.
• If you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or trying to get pregnant.