Drug information
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What are the most important things to know about lamivudine/zidovudine?What are the most important things to know about lamivudine/zidovudine?
What are the most important things to know about lamivudine/zidovudine?
Lamivudine/zidovudine can cause serious, life-threatening side effects. These include a buildup of lactic acid in the blood (lactic acidosis), liver problems, muscle disease (myopathy), and blood disorders such as a very low number of red blood cells (severe anemia) or lower than normal number of white blood cells (neutropenia).
Contact your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms that could be signs of lactic acidosis:
- Weakness or tiredness
- Unusual muscle pain
- Shortness of breath or fast breathing
- Stomach pain with nausea and vomiting
- Cold or blue hands and feet
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fast or abnormal heartbeat
Contact your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms that could be signs of liver problems:
- Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
- Dark-colored urine
- Light-colored bowel movements
- Loss of appetite for several days or longer
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach/abdominal area
- Itching
Lamivudine/zidovudine may cause myopathy, especially when used for a long time. Contact your health care provider right away if you develop muscle weakness or pain.
Lamivudine/zidovudine can cause blood disorders such as very low number of red blood cells (severe anemia) or lower than normal number of white blood cells (neutropenia). Keep all appointments to have your blood count checked while you’re taking lamivudine/zidovudine.
Contact your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of severe anemia or neutropenia:
- Unusual bleeding or bruising
- Fever, chills, or other symptoms of infection
- Unusual tiredness or weakness
- Pale skin
If you have both HIV and hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) and take lamivudine/zidovudine, the hepatitis B virus can change (mutate) during your treatment with lamivudine/zidovudine and become harder to treat (resistant). Also, your HBV infection may get much worse (flare-up) if you stop taking lamivudine/zidovudine. Do not stop taking lamivudine/zidovudine without first talking to your health care provider.
Worsening of liver disease (sometimes resulting in death) has occurred in people who have both HIV and hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) and who are taking HIV medicines and interferon alfa with or without ribavirin. If you are taking lamivudine/zidovudine as well as interferon alfa with or without ribavirin and you experience new side effects, tell your health care provider.
While taking lamivudine/zidovudine, it is important to keep all of your appointments with your health care provider.
What is lamivudine/zidovudine?What is lamivudine/zidovudine?
What is lamivudine/zidovudine?
Lamivudine/zidovudine is a prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HIV infection in adults and children who weigh at least 66 lb (30 kg). Lamivudine/zidovudine is always used in combination with other HIV medicines.
Lamivudine/zidovudine contains two different medicines: lamivudine and zidovudine.
Although lamivudine/zidovudine is FDA-approved, it is no longer commonly used or recommended as an HIV treatment. The Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV no longer contain detailed or updated information on the use of lamivudine/zidovudine. Please refer to the FDA drug label for additional information regarding the use of lamivudine/zidovudine in people with HIV. For more information on the use of lamivudine/zidovudine in children with HIV, please refer to the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.
HIV medicines cannot cure HIV/AIDS, but taking HIV medicines every day helps people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission. If you are taking HIV medicines, do not cut down on, skip, or stop taking them unless your health care provider tells you to.
What should I tell my health care provider before taking lamivudine/zidovudine?What should I tell my health care provider before taking lamivudine/zidovudine?
What should I tell my health care provider before taking lamivudine/zidovudine?
Before taking lamivudine/zidovudine, tell your health care provider:
- If you are allergic to any of the HIV medicines in lamivudine/zidovudine (lamivudine or zidovudine) or any other medicines.
- If you have any blood disorders, such as anemia or neutropenia.
- If you have myopathy (muscle disease).
- If you have kidney problems.
- If you have liver problems, such as hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) or hepatitis C virus infection (HCV).
- If you have ever had inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
- If you have any other medical conditions.
- If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of taking lamivudine/zidovudine during pregnancy. For more information on the use of lamivudine/zidovudine during pregnancy, please refer to the Recommendations for the Use of Antiretroviral Drugs During Pregnancy and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States.
- If you are breast/chestfeeding or plan to breast/chestfeed. For people with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. People with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk.
- If you are using hormone-based birth control (such as pills, implants, or vaginal rings). For more information about using birth control and HIV medicines at the same time, view the HIVinfo HIV and Birth Control infographic.
- About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Lamivudine/zidovudine may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how lamivudine/zidovudine works. Taking lamivudine/zidovudine together with certain medicines or products may cause serious, life-threatening side effects.
How should I take lamivudine/zidovudine?How should I take lamivudine/zidovudine?
How should I take lamivudine/zidovudine?
Lamivudine/zidovudine comes in tablet form. Each tablet contains:
- 150 mg lamivudine
- 300 mg zidovudine
Take lamivudine/zidovudine according to your health care provider’s instructions. Do not miss a dose of lamivudine/zidovudine, and do not change your dose or stop taking lamivudine/zidovudine without first talking with your health care provider.
Take lamivudine/zidovudine by mouth with or without food. Tell your health care provider if your child has trouble swallowing lamivudine/zidovudine tablets.
Always take lamivudine/zidovudine in combination with other HIV medicines.
If you have taken too much lamivudine/zidovudine, contact your health care provider or local poison control center (1-800-222-1222 or online) right away, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
For more information on how to take lamivudine/zidovudine, see the FDA drug label.
What should I do if I forget a dose?What should I do if I forget a dose?
What should I do if I forget a dose?
If you miss a dose of lamivudine/zidovudine, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. But if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and just take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.
What side effects can lamivudine/zidovudine cause?What side effects can lamivudine/zidovudine cause?
What side effects can lamivudine/zidovudine cause?
Lamivudine/zidovudine may cause side effects. Some side effects of lamivudine/zidovudine can be serious as noted above. Many side effects from HIV medicines, such as nausea or occasional dizziness, are manageable. See the HIVinfo fact sheet on HIV Medicines and Side Effects for more information.
Other possible side effects of lamivudine/zidovudine include:
- Changes in your immune system (called immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome or IRIS). IRIS is a condition that sometimes occurs when the immune system begins to recover after treatment with an HIV medicine. As the immune system gets stronger, it may have an increased response to a previously hidden infection.
- Loss of body fat (lipoatrophy).
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
Tell your health care provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of lamivudine/zidovudine. To learn more about possible side effects of lamivudine/zidovudine, read the drug label or package insert or talk to your health care provider or pharmacist.
You can report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088) or online.
How should lamivudine/zidovudine be stored?How should lamivudine/zidovudine be stored?
How should lamivudine/zidovudine be stored?
- Store lamivudine/zidovudine at room temperature between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C).
- Keep lamivudine/zidovudine in the container that it came in and keep the container tightly closed.
- Do not use lamivudine/zidovudine if the original seal over the container opening is broken or missing.
- Throw away lamivudine/zidovudine that is no longer needed or expired (out of date). Follow FDA guidelines on how to safely dispose of unused medicine.
- Keep lamivudine/zidovudine and all medicines out of reach of children.
Where can I find more information about lamivudine/zidovudine?Where can I find more information about lamivudine/zidovudine?
Where can I find more information about lamivudine/zidovudine?
- For more information on the use of lamivudine/zidovudine in people with HIV, please refer to the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection.
- This Patient Version drug summary is based on the following FDA label(s): Tablet (film coated). The Patient Counseling Information section of the label includes information for people taking lamivudine/zidovudine.
- The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for lamivudine and zidovudine available from MedlinePlus.
- Research studies related to lamivudine/zidovudine, from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests.)
- A list of FDA-approved HIV medicines, from HIVinfo.
Manufacturer Information
Combivir brand products are discontinued. For manufacturer information on a generic lamivudine/zidovudine product, please refer to the generic drug label or the manufacturer’s website.
Last Reviewed: April 8, 2024