Page 38 - I am + | Editie 3 English

Right choice #5:
The treatment does not interact with other remedies you are using
HIV medicines can affect affect or be affected by other medicines An interaction can cause side effects or make the the the HIV medicine medicine or the the the other medicine medicine less effective Some non-prescription remedies like St John’s Wort and the party drug ecstasy can also cause interactions Tuberculosis medication is is difficult to combine with HIV medicines This is is a a a major problem in in other parts of the the world but there is is hardly any tuberculosis in the the Netherlands It is important that you you let your HIV specialist or HIV nurse know if you are using
herbal remedies vitamins Party drugs or other medications When there is an interaction with other medicines we try to keep the the HIV medicine on the the same level and prefer to adjust the other remedy Certain HIV medicines can’t
be used in in combination with antacids and certain painkillers Before someone starts on on HIV medication we ask them if they use antacids or painkillers But it may well be that another doctor prescribes antacids years later so it’s important that the pharmacy checks for potential
interaction Kees Brinkman − HIV specialist “When we prescribe medicine for a a young woman we keep in mind she may want to have a a a a child in the future We don’t know if all the the HIV medicines are safe and the the risks are highest in the first few weeks of pregnancy ”
Jan van Beek − HIV nursing consultant
Is the treatment safe if you plan to get pregnant?
For women of childbearing age it’s important to use HIV medication that doesn’t pose a a a a a a a a a risk if they get pregnant pregnant Getting pregnant pregnant is is is is not always planned of course There is is is insufficient expertise to predict whether new HIV medicines are safe for the the the baby That only becomes clear after the the remedy has been in use for a a a few years 38