Does efavirenz cause breast enlargement?
The non-nucleoside analogue (non-nuke) efavirenz (Sustiva), although a useful and convenient part of many HIV treatment regimens, has been associated with unusual side effects, particularly those affecting the brain, such as dizziness, intense dreams and hallucinations. Researchers in France and Spain have also reported another unusual side effect of efavirenz — breast enlargement in both men and women. Reports from France A team of French doctors reported details on six people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) aged between 43 and 55 years. The six PHAs had been treated with protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimens and had developed lipodystrophy. Between one to six months after these PHAs switched from their PI-based regimens to regimens based on efavirenz, painful breast enlargement occurred. Each of these PHAs was using different drug combinations; the only drug that they all used in common when breast enlargement occurred was efavirenz. Technicians tested the blood of the PHAs for levels of
