Didanosine pour le VIH

About didanosine

Didanosine is an antiretroviral medicine. It is used for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It slows the progress of HIV infection, but it is not a cure. HIV destroys cells in the body, called CD4 T cells. These cells are a type of white blood cell and are important because they are involved in protecting your body from infection. If left untreated, the HIV infection weakens your immune system so that your body cannot defend itself against bacteria, viruses and other germs. Didanosine slows down the progress of HIV infection by reducing the amount of virus in your body. It does this by stopping the virus from copying (replicating) itself.

Didanosine will be prescribed for you by a doctor who is a specialist. It belongs to a group of antiretroviral medicines known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). It is given alongside a number of other antiretroviral medicines, as part of a combination therapy. Taking three or more antiretroviral medicines at the same time is more effective than taking one alone. Taking a combination of different medicines also reduces the risk that the virus will become resistant to any individual medicine. It is vital to take your antiretroviral medicines exactly as prescribed to maintain success and to help to prevent the virus from becoming resistant to the medicines. These medicines are usually taken for life.

Before taking didanosine

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking didanosine it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous êtes enceinte, si vous essayez d'avoir un enfant ou si vous allaitez.

• Si vous avez des problèmes de fonctionnement du foie ou des reins.

• Si vous consommez beaucoup d'alcool.

• Si vous avez déjà souffert d'une inflammation du pancréas, appelée pancréatite.

• If you feel any tingling or pain in your arms or legs, or if you have any numbness in these areas.

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments disponibles sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médicaments complémentaires.

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction allergique à un médicament.

How to take didanosine

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside your pack. It will give you more information about didanosine, and it will also provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you could experience from taking it.

• Take didanosine exactly as your doctor tells you to. You will be asked to take one or two doses each day. If you are taking two doses a day, take them 12 hours apart, so in the morning and the evening.

• Try to take didanosine at the same times each day, as this will help you to remember to take it regularly. You should take your doses 'on an empty stomach'. This means that you should take them two hours before a meal, or you should wait until two hours after you have eaten. This is because your body absorbs less didanosine when there is food in your stomach, which means that the medicine is less effective.

• Swallow the capsules whole with a large glassful of water. Do not open up the capsules, as this may reduce how much of the medicine your body absorbs.

• If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember (keeping in mind that it should be taken without food). If it is time to take your next dose when you remember, leave out the missed dose and just take the dose that is due. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

Tirer le meilleur parti de votre traitement

• Respectez vos rendez-vous réguliers avec votre médecin afin qu'il puisse suivre votre évolution. Vous devrez subir régulièrement des analyses de sang pour vérifier l'efficacité de vos médicaments.

• It is important that you continue to take didanosine and your other antiretroviral treatment regularly. This will help to prevent the HIV from becoming resistant to the medicines you are taking. Even if you miss only a small number of doses, the virus can become resistant to treatment.

• If you develop an infection soon after you start the treatment, let your doctor know. As a result of taking didanosine, your immune system may start fighting an infection which was present before you started the treatment, but which you may not have been aware of.

• Suivez attentivement les conseils de votre médecin concernant les changements à apporter à votre mode de vie afin de réduire le risque de dommages à votre cœur et à vos vaisseaux sanguins. Il peut s'agir d'arrêter de fumer, de manger sainement et de faire régulièrement de l'exercice.

• Didanosine has been associated with serious side-effects in some people who have taken it. These include inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), and a problem where there is too much lactic acid in the blood, known as lactic acidosis. The symptoms associated with these side-effects are listed in the next section 'Can didanosine cause problems?'. If you develop any of the symptoms listed below, you must let your doctor know straightaway, as they can worsen, and may even become life-threatening.

• Certaines personnes prenant des médicaments antirétroviraux développent des changements dans la façon dont la graisse corporelle est répartie dans le corps. Cela peut entraîner des modifications de l'image corporelle. Votre médecin discutera avec vous de cette possibilité.

• Bien que le traitement par des médicaments antirétroviraux puisse réduire le risque que vous transmettiez le VIH à d'autres personnes par contact sexuel, il ne l'empêche pas. Il est important que vous utilisiez des préservatifs.

• Il n'est pas rare que les personnes séropositives se sentent déprimées, surtout peu de temps après le diagnostic et le début du traitement. Si vous vous sentez déprimé ou si vous avez l'impression de vous faire du mal, parlez-en immédiatement à votre médecin.

• Your doctor is likely to recommend that your eyesight be checked every year. If you notice any problems with your eyesight in between these checks, you should let your doctor know about this.

• Certaines personnes ayant pris des médicaments antirétroviraux (en particulier sur une longue période) ont développé une maladie appelée ostéonécrose. Il s'agit d'une maladie osseuse dans laquelle le tissu osseux meurt en raison d'une diminution de l'apport sanguin. Elle entraîne des douleurs et des raideurs articulaires et peut provoquer des difficultés de mouvement. Si vous remarquez l'un de ces symptômes, parlez-en à votre médecin.

• If you buy any medicines, supplements or herbal remedies 'over the counter', check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with didanosine and your other medicines. This is because some medicines interfere with antiretrovirals and can stop them from working properly.

• Si vous devez subir une opération ou un traitement dentaire, indiquez à la personne chargée du traitement les médicaments que vous prenez.

• Treatment for HIV is usually lifelong. Continue to take didanosine regularly, even if you feel well. This is to keep your immune system healthy.

Can didanosine cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with didanosine. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Your doctor will discuss with you the possibility of less common but more serious side-effects occurring, such as inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) or lactic acidosis. Let your doctor know straightaway if you develop any of the following symptoms.

• The most common signs of pancreatitis are abdominal pain, feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting), fever, and feeling generally unwell.

• The most common signs of lactic acidosis are feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting), tummy pain, loss of appetite, loss of weight, feeling weak or dizzy, and fast or gasping breathing.

Si vous ressentez d'autres symptômes qui pourraient être dus au médicament, demandez conseil à votre médecin ou à votre pharmacien.

How to store didanosine

• Conservez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.

Informations importantes sur tous les médicaments