Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For delavirdine, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to delavirdine. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Delavirdine has not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals have shown that delavirdine causes birth defects when given in doses higher than those given to humans. Before taking this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether delavirdine passes into the breast milk. However, if your baby does not already have the AIDS virus, there is a chance you could pass it to your baby by breast-feeding. Talk to your doctor first if you are thinking about breast-feeding your baby.

Older adults—Delavirdine has not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it is not known whether it causes different side effects or problems in the elderly than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking delavirdine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Alprazolam (e.g., Xanax) or
• Carbamazepine (e.g., Tegretol) or
• Cisapride (e.g., Propulsid) or
• Dihydroergotamine (e.g., D.H.E. 45) or
• Ergonovine (e.g., Ergotrate) or
• Ergotamine (e.g., Gynergen) or
• Lovastatin (e.g., Mevacor) or
• Methylergonovine (e.g., Methergine) or
• Midazolam (e.g., Versed) or
• Phenobarbital or
• Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin) or
• Pimozide (e.g., Orap) or
• Rifabutin (e.g., Mycobutin) or
• Rifampin (e.g., Rifadin) or
• Simvastatin (e.g., Zocor) or
• St. John's Wort or
• Triazolam (e.g., Halcion)—These medicines should not be given with delavirdine due to the possibility of serious side effects.
  

• Acid blocking medicines, such as
• Cimetidine (e.g., Tagamet) or
• Famotidine (e.g., Pepcid) or
• Lansoprazole (e.g., Prevacid) or
• Nizatidine (e.g., Axid) or
• Omeprazole (e.g., Prilosec) or
• Ranitidine (e.g., Zantac)—Use of any these medicines with delavirdine may decrease the amount of delavirdine in the body

• Amphetamines—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of amphetamine in the body

• Amprenavir (e.g., Agenerase)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may decrease the amount of amprenavir in the body

• Antacids—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may decrease the amount of delavirdine in the body. Delavirdine and antacids should be taken at least one hour apart

• Antiarrhythmics, such as
• Amiodarone (e.g., Cordarone) or
• Flecainide (e.g., Tambocor) or
• Lidocaine, systemic (e.g., Xylocaine) or
• Propafenone (e.g., Rythmol) or
• Quinidine (e.g., Quinaglute)—Use of any of these medicines with delavirdine may increase the amount of these antiarrhythmics in the body

• Bepridil (e.g., Vascor)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase your risk for certain side effects

• Clarithromycin (e.g., Biaxin)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of clarithromycin in your body

• Dexamethasone (e.g., Decadron)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may decrease the amount of delavirdine in your body

• Didanosine (e.g., Videx)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may decrease the amounts of both medicines in your body. Delavirdine and didanosine should be taken at least one hour apart

• Calcium channel blockers, such as
• Amlodipine (e.g., Norvasc) or
• Diltiazem (e.g., Cardizem) or
• Felodipine (e.g., Plendil) or
• Isradipine (e.g., DynaCirc) or
• Nicardipine (e.g., Cardene) or
• Nifedipine (e.g., Adalat) or
• Nimodipine (e.g., Nimotop) or
• Nisoldipine (e.g., Sular) or
• Verapamil (e.g., Calan)—Use of any of these medicines with delavirdine may increase the amount of these calcium channel blocking medicines in the body

• HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, such as
• Atorvastatin (e.g., Lipitor) or
• Fluvastatin (e.g., Lescol)—Use of any of these medicines with delavirdine may increase the amount of these HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor medicines in the body

• Immunosuppressants, such as
• Cyclosporine (e.g., Neoral) or
• Sirolimus (e.g., Rapamune) or
• Tacrolimus (e.g., Prograf)—Use of any of these medicines with delavirdine may increase the amount of these immunosuppressant medicines in the body

• Indinavir (e.g., Crixivan)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of indinavir in your body

• Lopinavir and Ritonavir combination therapy (e.g., Kaletra)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount lopinavir and ritonavir in your body

• Methadone (e.g., Dolophine)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of methadone in your body

• Ritonavir (e.g., Norvir)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of ritonavir in your body

• Saquinavir (e.g., Fortovase)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of saquinavir in your body

• Sildenafil (e.g., Viagra)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of sildenafil in your body

• Warfarin (e.g., Coumadin)—Use of this medicine with delavirdine may increase the amount of warfarin in your body

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of delavirdine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Achlorhydria (absence of stomach acid)—Delavirdine should be taken with an acidic beverage such as orange or cranberry juice

• Liver disease—Effects of delavirdine may be increased because of slower removal from the body