WHO SHOULD TAKE COMBIVIR?
Combivir was approved in 1997 as an antiretroviral drug (ARV) for people with HIV infection. Combivir should not be used by children younger than 12 years old because the individual doses of zidovudine and lamivudine cannot be adjusted. Some people with HIV had their hepatitis B get worse after they stopped taking lamivudine, a part of Combivir. Get tested for hepatitis B before you start taking Combivir to treat HIV. If you have hepatitis B and stop taking Combivir, your health care provider should carefully monitor your liver function for several months.See Fact Sheet 506 for an overview on hepatitis. There are no absolute rules about when to start ART. You and your health care provider should consider your CD4 cell count, your viral load, any symptoms you are having, and your attitude about taking ART. Fact Sheet 404 has more information about guidelines for the use of ART. If you take Combivir with other ARVs, you can reduce your viral load to extremely low levels, and increase you
