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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Treatment options for people who are starting HIV treatment.Examples of other first-choice HIV drug combinations that may be used to treat HIV include:Biktarvy (bictegravir, emtricitabine, tenofovir alafenamide)Genvoya (elvitegravir, cobicistat, tenofovir alafenamide, emtricitabine)Stribild (elvitegravir, cobicistat, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, emtricitabine)Isentress (raltegravir) plus Descovy (tenofovir alafenamide and emtricitabine)Isentress (raltegravir) plus Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and lamivudineTivicay (dolutegravir) plus Descovy (tenofovir alafenamide and emtricitabine)Tivicay (dolutegravir) plus Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and lamivudineTriumeq (dolutegravir, abacavir, lamivudine)First-choice drugs for HIV are medications that:help reduce virus levelshave fewer side effects than other optionsare easy to useThere are many other drugs and drug combinations that are used to treat HIV in certain situations, but these are typically only used when first-choice drug combinations can’t be used.Alternatives for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)Truvada is the only FDA-approved treatment for PrEP. It’s also the only PrEP treatment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Currently, there are no alternatives to Truvada for PrEP.You may wonder how Truvada compares to other medications that are prescribed for similar uses. Here we look at how Truvada and Descovy are alike and different.IngredientsTruvada contains two drugs in one pill: emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Descovy also contains two drugs in one pill: emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide.Both medications contain the drug tenofovir, but in different forms. Truvada contains tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and Descovy contains tenofovir alafenamide. These drugs are very similar, but they have slightly different effects in the body.UsesTruvada and Descovy are both FDA-approved to treat HIV infection when used in combination with other antiviral drugs.Truvada is also approved for preventing HIV in people who have a high risk of getting HIV. This is called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).Forms and administrationTruvada and Descovy both come as oral tablets that are taken once daily.Side effects and risksTruvada and Descovy are very similar drugs and cause similar common and severe side effects.More common side effectsExamples of the more common side effects of Truvada and Descovy include:diarrheaheadachefatiguerespiratory infectionssore throatvomitingrashSerious side effectsExamples of serious side effects shared by Truvada and Descovy include:bone losskidney damageliver damagelactic acidosisimmune reconstitution syndromeBoth Truvada and Descovy have boxed warnings from the FDA. A boxed warning is the strongest kind of warning the FDA requires. The warnings state that these drugs can cause worsening of hepatitis B infection when use of the drugs is stopped.Truvada and Descovy can both cause bone loss and kidney damage. However, Descovy causes less bone loss than Truvada.
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