darunavir

Prezista (darunavir) can cause life-threatening liver problems. These are more common in the first few months of treatment. Your provider will order blood tests for you before and during treatment so they can make sure this medication is safe for your liver. Let your provider know immediately if you experience signs and symptoms of liver damage, such as feeling sleepy, nausea, loss of appetite, light-colored stool, upper right stomach pain, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or dark urine.

Prezista (darunavir) can sometimes cause rash and other severe skin reactions. In studies, some people developed a rash within the first 4 weeks of treatment. If you have a mild or moderate rash, continue to take Prezista (darunavir) and let your provider know. Oftentimes, the rash goes away on its own. If you have a severe rash or your rash gets worse, talk with your provider right away. In rare cases, if you experience a severe rash with fever, general discomfort, muscle or joint pain, mouth sores, blisters, or facial swelling, stop taking Prezista (darunavir) right away and get medical attention.

Rarely, people taking HIV medications, such as Prezista (darunavir), have experienced changes in body fat. These changes include fat buildup in the back of the neck, breast, and around the middle of the body. Some people also lost fat from the legs, arms, and face. It's not clear whether Prezista (darunavir) causes these changes to body fat, why this happens, and whether it will affect your health in the future. Let your provider know if these changes occur while you're taking Prezista (darunavir).

Taking combination ARV therapy, such as Prezista (darunavir) with other HIV medications, can cause changes to your immune system called immune reconstitution syndrome. This condition happens when your immune system becomes overly active after you start combination therapy. So your immune system begins to fight off different infections that it was too weak to fight off before you started treatment. In rare cases, your immune response might improve too much with treatment that it starts to attack normal cells in your body (autoimmune). You can develop these conditions as early as during the first few weeks of treatment or many months later. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you start having any new symptoms, such as fever, pain, hair loss, bulging eyes, or sweating, after starting Prezista (darunavir).

Some people with a bleeding condition called hemophilia have had more bleeding after starting protease inhibitors, such as Prezista (darunavir). About half the time, you can continue taking this medication after the bleeding stops. If you have pain and swelling in your joints or bruising on your skin, let your provider know right away. These can be signs of blood buildup under the skin or in your joints.

Some medications can interfere with how well your body gets rid of Prezista (darunavir) from your system. This can affect the amount of Prezista (darunavir) in your body, how well it works, and the risk of side effects.