Emtriva (Emtricitabine) for HIV

Overview
Emtriva is a prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat HIV-1 infection in combination with other antiretroviral medications. Emtriva is also referred to by its drug name, Emtricitabine, and by the abbreviation FTC. Emtricitabine is a component in the combination drugs Atripla, Genvoya, Stribild, Complera, and Truvada. Emtriva is an antiviral medication of the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) class. Emtriva is believed to work by preventing HIV from replicating in cells.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that Emtriva is taken once daily. Emtriva comes in capsule and oral solution forms.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Emtriva lists common side effects including headache, nausea, diarrhea, insomnia, and skin color changes on the palms of hands and soles of feet. Rare but serious side effects listed for Emtriva include lactic acidosis (a metabolic disorder), hepatomegaly (enlarged liver) with steatosis (fatty degeneration), and severe exacerbations of Hepatitis B.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Emtriva – RxList

Overview of HIV Treatments – AIDS.gov