Efavirenz Side Effects and Warnings

What are the precautions when taking this medicine?

• Do not run out of this medicine.

• If you have high cholesterol, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have liver disease, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have mental illness, talk with healthcare provider.

• If you have seizures, talk with healthcare provider.

• Check medicines with healthcare provider. This medicine may not mix well with other medicines.

• Do not take St John's wort with this medicine. It may make this medicine less effective.

• You may not be alert. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities until you see how this medicine affects you.

• Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor) or other medicines and natural products that slow your actions and reactions.

• To protect against sexually-transmitted diseases, use a latex condom.

• Use birth control that you can trust to prevent pregnancy in HIV disease.

• Birth control pills and other hormone-based birth control may not work to prevent pregnancy. Use another form of birth control while taking this medicine.

• Breast-feeding is not recommended in HIV disease in the U.S.

What are some possible side effects of this medicine?

• Feeling lightheaded, sleepy, having blurred vision, or a change in thinking clearly. Avoid driving, doing other tasks or activities that require you to be alert or have clear vision until you see how this medicine affects you.

• Feeling dizzy. Rise slowly over several minutes from sitting or lying position. Be careful climbing.

• Depression.

• Nervous and excitable.

• Inability to sleep.

• Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking hard, sugar-free candy, or chewing sugar-free gum may help.

• Diarrhea.

• High cholesterol level.

• High triglyceride level.

Reasons to call healthcare provider immediately

• If you suspect an overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency department immediately.

• Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Signs or symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, nervousness, emotional ups and downs, abnormal thinking, anxiety, or lack of interest in life.

• If you are planning to harm yourself or the desire to harm yourself increases.

• Significant change in thinking clearly and logically.

• Severe headache.

• Not able to eat.

• Severe nausea or vomiting.

• Severe diarrhea.

• Feeling extremely tired or weak.

• Dark urine or yellow skin or eyes.

• Any rash.

• No improvement in condition or feeling worse.