HIV medications, or antiretroviral (ARV) medications have the potential to improve your health and extend your life, but from time to time they also may make you feel unwell. Always talk with your doctor about any new side effects, side effects that get worse, or side effects that just don't go away.


The following chart lists potential side effects for each drug class. Please note that this is only a sample of commonly experienced side effects for each drug class and is not a comprehensive list. Side effects vary with each medication. For more information on a medication's side effects and how to deal with them, refer to the package insert and talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug Class Common Side Effects
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), also known as "nukes", nucleoside analogs or backbone

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* Abacavir (ABC)
* Abacavir + Lamivudine (ABC + 3TC)
* Abacavir + Lamivudine + Zidovudine (ABC + AZT + 3TC)
* Didanosine (ddl)
* Emtricitabine (FTC)
* Tenofovir DF + Emtricitabine (TDF + FTC)
* Lamivudine (3TC)
* Stavudine (d4T)
* Tenofovir DF (TDF or Bis(POC) PMPA)
* Zalcitabine (ddC)
* Zidovudine (AZT or ZDV)
* Zidovudine + Lamivudine (AZT + 3TC)


Serious allergic reaction (may include fever, rash, and vomiting); anemia; low white blood cell count; nausea; headache; numbness, tingling, or pain in your limbs or extremities (these may be symptoms of peripheral neuropathy); inflammation of the pancreas (may include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea)
Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)

* Efavirenz (EFV)
* Nevirapine (NVP)

Rash; mental changes (bad dreams, confusion) during first 2 to 3 weeks
Protease inhibitors (PIs)

* Atazanavir (ATZ)
* Fosamprenavir (FPV)
* Indinavir (IDV)
* Lopinavir + Ritonavir (LPV)
* Nelfinavir (NFV)
* Ritonavir (RTV)
* Saquinavir (SQV)
* Tipranavir (TPV)


Nausea; vomiting; rash; headache; tingling (around mouth, hands, feet); kidney stones; dry lips and skin; diarrhea; fat deposits in the abdomen (also know as lipodystrophy); change in levels of blood lipids (or blood fats)
Fusion inhibitors (FIs)

* Enfuvirtide (T-20)

Local skin reaction at the site of injection (itching, swelling, redness, pain or tenderness, hardened skin, bumps)