Effectiveness of Kaletra & It’s Dosage, Side Effects

This medicine kaletra has to be avoided if you have ever had any allergic reactions to ritonavir or lopinavir. There are other medicines that can interact with this medicine especially with ritonavir and lopinavir. Therefore, it is important to tell all your doctors about the medicines you are taking.

Kaletra is a medicine that comes with the combination of ritonavir and lopinavir. These two medicines are used for effective prevention of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) from spreading in the human body.

Kaletra is for the effective treatment of HIV that results in AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)

Kaletra is not a cure for AIDS or HIV.

This medicine kaletra should not be taken if you have ever had any allergic reaction to ritonavir and lopinavir. There are other medicines that can cause unwanted reactions while taking this medicine kaletra. Your doctor must know if you are taking any of these medicines in order to make kaletra okay for you:

• Colchicines
• Simvastatin, lovastatin
• Pimozide, lurasidone
• dronedarone
• St. John’s wort
• Sildenafil (Revatio for pulmonary arterial hypertension)
• Rifampin
• Grazoprevir, elbasvir
• Alfuzosin
• Triazolam, midazolam (oral syrup)
• Ergot medicine (methylergonovine, dihydroergotamine)

You should inform your physician if you have any of these conditions in order to make kaletra okay for you:

• Heart rhythm disorder, heart disease
• Diabetes
• Pancreas problem
• History of personal or family Long QT syndrome
• Liver disease (mainly Hepatitis B or C)
• If you have ever used protease inhibitor
• Triglycerides, high cholesterol
• Hemophilia (bleeding disorder)
• Low levels of potassium in blood

It is unknown if this medicine kaletra will harm unborn baby and if you are not treated properly HIV can be passed to your baby as well. Therefore, take all medicines according to your doctor’s advice

In case if you are pregnant at the time of kaletra treatment, your name will be listed in the pregnancy list and the outcome of the medicine will be tracked and recorded mainly its effects on the baby.

This medicine kaletra can make patches or birth control pills less effective. Therefore, it is important you ask your doctor about non-hormone method to control pregnancy such as spermicide, diaphragm, and condom. Use these to prevent pregnancy during the treatment process.

It is advisable women do not breast feed babies as HIV will pass on to the baby through breast milk.

This medicine kaletra is not for people younger than 14 years of age. Premature children should not be given this medicine until 2 weeks of original due date

There are multiple side effects for kaletra. If you have any signs of allergic reaction to kaletra get immediate medical assistance. Allergic reactions include swelling of tongue, face, throat & lips, difficulty in breathing & hives.

If you have any of these conditions or symptoms stop taking kaletra and call doctor:

• High blood sugar (increased urination or increased thirst)
• Feeling short of breath, muscle weakness, joint or muscle pain, tired feeling
• Vomiting, nausea, severe pain in upper stomach that spreads to the back
• Severe dizziness, pounding or fast heartbeats, chest pain, headache
• Severe skin reactions – burning in eyes, skin pain, sore throat, swelling in tongue or face, fever and then purple / red rashes which spreads across face and upper body, skin peeling and blistering
• Painful penis erection, erection lasts 4 hours or longer (especially if you are taking ritonavir and lopinavir with erectile dysfunction medicines)
• Clay color stool, itching, jaundice (yellowing of eyes or skin), dark urine, loss of interest in food.

This medicine kaletra is capable of changing the working of your immune system and increasing risk of autoimmune disorders and certain infections. These symptoms might occur during later stages of the kaletra treatment after a couple of weeks or months. Therefore tell your doctor if you have any of these:

• Swelling in throat, neck, impotence, menstrual changes, loss of interest in sex
• Feeling irritable or anxious, problems with balance or eye movement, rapid heart rate, prickly feeling or weakness
• Cold sores, sores on anal or genital area
• Severe lower back pain, trouble swallowing or speaking, loss of bowel control or bladder
• Chest pain (mainly when you breathe), shortness of breath, wheezing, dry cough
• New infections signs such as mouth sores, swollen glands, weight loss, fever, stomach pain, night sweats, stomach pain

Other common side effects of kaletra include:

• High cholesterol
• Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea
• Changes in location or shape of body fat (mainly in your breasts, arms, waist, face legs, neck)

There are many medicines that interact and affect the body when you take kaletra. Therefore, inform your physician about the medicines you are currently taking to make this medicine okay for you. Here are the medicines that affect, however the list does not end here.

• Medicine for the prevention of blood clots
• Cancer medicine
• Antifungal and antibiotic medicine
• Blood or heart pressure medicine
• Medicine for erectile dysfunction
• Antiviral medicines for HIV or hepatitis C
• Medicine to treat schizophrenia or severe depression
• Medicine for the prevention of organ transplant rejection
• Seizure medicines can also interfere with kaletra
• Narcotic medicine
• Medicine for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Steroid medicine
• Medicine for cholesterol lowering “statin”.