Drug Interactions With Abacavir

Ganciclovir, ribavirin, and methadone are among the medications that may cause drug interactions with abacavir. Some of these interactions can increase the level of abacavir in your blood and increase your risk of side effects. Other interactions can decrease the levels of the medications in your blood, reducing the effectiveness of the drugs. To avoid these complications, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about possible drug interactions with abacavir that may apply to you.

Abacavir Sulfate for HIV/AIDS

Interactions With Abacavir: An Introduction

Abacavir sulfate (Ziagen^®) can potentially interact with several other medicines. Some of these medicines that may lead to abacavir interactions include:

Alcohol
Ganciclovir (Cytovene^®)
Methadone (Dolophine^®, Methadose^®)
Ribavirin (Copegus^®, Rebetol^®, Ribasphere^®, Virazole^®)
Valganciclovir (Valcyte™).

Abacavir Drug Interactions Explained

The following sections explain in detail the potentially negative interactions that can occur when abacavir is combined with any of the drugs listed above.

Alcohol

Drinking alcoholic beverages can increase the level of abacavir in your blood, perhaps increasing your risk of side effects. It may be a good idea for you to avoid drinking alcohol while taking abacavir.

Ganciclovir (Cytovene)

Combining ganciclovir with abacavir may increase your risk of abacavir side effects, particularly the side effects that affect blood cells. Your healthcare provider may need to closely monitor your blood counts.

Methadone (Dolophine, Methadose)

Abacavir may decrease the level of methadone in your blood, possibly making it less effective. Talk with your healthcare provider before taking these medications together.

(Drug Interactions With Abacavir Continued: Page 2)