IV treatment options

IV treatment options

Canadian guidelines recommend that all pregnant HIV positive women take combination anti-HIV therapy. You and your doctor will decide what’s right for you based on your particular situation, including the stage of your pregnancy and whether or not you are already on anti-HIV therapy.

What anti-HIV drugs are recommended during pregnancy?

The combination of anti-HIV drugs that you take during pregnancy depends on many factors, including the drugs you have taken in the past. As well, certain drugs are known to cause side effects in pregnancy and others may harm the fetus and so should be avoided. Drugs to avoid include efavirenz (Sustiva), delavirdine (Rescriptor), nelfinavir (Viracept) and the combination of ddI (Videx) and d4T (Zerit). Also, nevirapine (Viramune) should not be started when your CD4 count is above 250 cells. Fortunately, there are many other options, so check with your doctor for the most up-to-date information.