Etravirine Side Effects: An Introduction
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with
etravirine (
Intelence™); however, not everyone who takes the medication will have problems. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. When side effects do occur, in most cases they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with etravirine. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of etravirine side effects with you.)
There are a number of etravirine side effects that you should report to your healthcare provider. These include, but are not limited to:
- Frequent infections, which may be a sign of low neutrophil levels in the blood (known medically as neutropenia)
- High triglycerides or high cholesterol
- Changes in the distribution of fat on your body (such as a "buffalo hump")
- Allergic reactions (see below).
Etravirine and Allergic Reactions
Etravirine can cause very serious (sometimes life-threatening) allergic reactions, particularly dangerous skin rashes. While harmless skin rashes are quite common with etravirine, any rash that involves blisters, loss of skin, a fever, or sores in the mouth should be reported to your healthcare provider immediately. These allergic reactions can become quite dangerous, causing severe infections, loss of significant portions of the skin, or even organ failure (such as liver failure).
