Intelence

Generic Name: etravirine (E tra VIR een)
Brand Names: Intelence

What is Intelence?

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Intelence is an antiviral medication that prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cells from multiplying in your body. It is a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI).

Intelence is used in combination with other antiretroviral medications to treat HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is not a cure for HIV or AIDS.

Intelence is usually given after other antiviral drugs have been tried without successful treatment of HIV.

Intelence may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Important information about Intelence

There are many other medicines that can interact with Intelence, or make it less effective. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

HIV/AIDS is usually treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor. Every person with HIV or AIDS should remain under the care of a doctor.

Taking Intelence will not prevent you from passing HIV to other people through unprotected sex or sharing of needles. Talk with your doctor about safe methods of preventing HIV transmission during sex, such as using a condom and spermicide. Sharing drug or medicine needles is never safe, even for a healthy person.

Before taking Intelence

Do not use Intelence if you are allergic to etravirine.

You should not take Intelence together with:

delavirdine (Rescriptor);
efavirenz (Sustiva); or
nevirapine (Viramune).

You should not take Intelence with ritonavir if you are also taking:

atazanavir (Reyataz).
tipranavir (Aptivus);
fosamprenavir (Lexiva); or
lopinavir (Kaletra).

You should not take Intelence without ritonavir if you are also taking:

atazanavir (Reyataz);
fosamprenavir (Agenerase);
indinavir (Crixivan); or
nelfinavir (Viracept).

Before taking Intelence, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have never taken an antiviral medication before.

FDA pregnancy category B. Intelence is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. HIV can be passed to the baby if the mother is not properly treated during pregnancy. If you are pregnant, take all of your HIV medicines as directed to control your infection.

Your name may need to be listed on an antiviral pregnancy registry when you start using Intelence. The purpose of this registry is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and delivery to evaluate whether Intelence had any effect on the baby.

You should not breast-feed while you are using Intelence. Women with HIV or AIDS should not breast-feed at all. Even if your baby is born without HIV, you may still pass the virus to the baby in your breast milk.

How should I take Intelence?

Take Intelence exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Intelence comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Intelence works best if you take it after a meal.

If you cannot swallow an Intelence tablet whole, place it into a glass of water and allow the tablet to disperse in the liquid. The tablet will not dissolve completely. Drink this mixture right away. To make sure you get the entire dose, add a little more liquid to the same glass, swirl gently and drink right away.

It is important to take Intelence regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescriptions refilled before you run out of medicine completely.

To best treat your condition, use all of your medications as directed by your doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without advice from your doctor. Every person with HIV or AIDS should remain under the care of a doctor.

To be sure Intelence is helping your condition, your blood will need to be tested on a regular basis. Visit your doctor regularly.

Store Intelence at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep the tablets in their original container, along with the packet of moisture-absorbing preservative that comes with the medication.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Symptoms of an Intelence overdose are not known.

What should I avoid while taking Intelence?

Intelence side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;
chest pain;
confusion, anxiety, nightmares, seizure (convulsions);
loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
urinating less than usual;
fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms; or
any other signs of new infection.

Less serious side effects may include:

mild nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation;
dry mouth, heartburn;
mild skin rash;
headache, dizziness, tired feeling;
numbness or tingly feeling in your hands or feet;
sleep problems (insomnia), unusual dreams;
blurred vision;
increased sweating; or
changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in your arms, legs, face, neck, breasts, and waist).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect Intelence?

There are many other medicines that can interact with Intelence, or make it less effective. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
dexamethasone (Cortastat, Decadron, Dexasone, Hexadrol, Solurex, and others);
diazepam (Valium);
cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
a cholesterol medication such as fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altocor, Advicor, Mevacor), atorvastatin (Lipitor) or simvastatin (Zocor);
sirolimus (Rapamune), tacrolimus (Prograf);
St. John's wort;
seizure medications such as phenytoin (Dilantin), phenobarbital (Solfoton), or carbamazepine (Tegretol);
sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra);
an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), posaconazole (Noxafil), rifabutin (Mycobutin), or rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane), voriconazole (Vfend); or
a heart rhythm medication such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), flecainide (Tambocor), mexiletine (Mexitil), propafenone (Rythmol), or quinidine (Quinidex, Quin-Release Quin-G).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Intelence. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about Intelence.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use Intelence only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.