What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking Lamivudine:
Please inform your doctor if you have kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, or problems with your muscles. If you have any of the conditions listed above, you may not be able to use lamivudine or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.
If you have hepatitis B you may develop liver symptoms after you stop taking lamivudine, even months after stopping. Your doctor may want to check your liver at regular visits for several months after you stop using this medication. Do not miss any scheduled visits.
Also, if you have diabetes, you should know that the liquid forms of this medication contain 3 to 4 grams of sucrose (sugar) per dose.
Lamivudine is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known if it will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It is very important to treat HIV/AIDS during pregnancy to reduce the risk of infecting the baby. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
Furthermore, it is not known if lamivudine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Women with HIV or AIDS should not breast-feed. Even if your baby is born without HIV, you may still pass the virus to the baby in your breast milk.
Avoid having unprotected sex or sharing needles, razors, or toothbrushes. Taking this medication will not keep you from passing HIV to other people. 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.
Additionally, avoid drinking alcohol while taking lamivudine. Alcohol may increase the risk of damage to your pancreas or liver.
Why is this medication prescribed?
Dosage and using this medicine
What should I do if I forget a dose?
What side effects can this medication cause?