Stavir, Zerit (Stavudine Capsules) use
Stavir, Zerit (Stavudine Capsules) contains stavudine which is a synthetic nucleoside analogue of thymidine. After penetration to a cell stavudine turns into its active metabolite stavudine triphosphate, which inhibits HIV reverse transcriptase competing with the natural substrate deoxythymidine triphosphate and impairs the replication of HIV. Stavudine triphosphate also increases viral DNA chain termination due to the absence in the molecule Z'-hydroxyl groups important for the construction of DNA. In addition, stavudine triphosphate suppresses cellular DNA polymerases ? and ? and considerably reduces the synthesis of mitochondrial DNA. In combination with other nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and inhibitors of HIV protease Stavir, Zerit (Stavudine Capsules) is used to treat HIV infections.

Dosage 
Dosage depends on body weight: for patients with body weight more than 60 kg 40 mg of Stavir, Zerit (Stavudine Capsules) is recommended every twelve hours; for patients with body weight under 60 kg 30 mg of Stavir, Zerit (Stavudine Capsules) should be taken every twelve hours. If you have swallowing problems open the capsule and take its content with some food. Dose reduction is recommended in patients with kidney impairments. Take with a full glass of water with or without food.

Before taking this medicine

You should not take Zerit if you are allergic to stavudine. Zerit should not be taken together with any HIV combination that includes zidovudine (Combivir, Retrovir, or Trizivir).

Some people have developed a life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis while taking Zerit. You may be more likely to develop lactic acidosis if you are overweight or have liver disease, if you are a woman, or if you have taken certain HIV or AIDS medications for a long time. Talk with your doctor about your individual risk. Zerit can also cause severe or life-threatening effects on your liver or pancreas. Tell your doctor if you have liver disease or a history of pancreatitis.

To make sure you can safely take Zerit, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

·         kidney disease;

·         diabetes (Zerit liquid contains 250 milligrams of sucrose per teaspoon); or

·         if you have used a medicine similar to Zerit in the past, such as abacavir (Ziagen), didanosine (Videx), emtricitabine (Atripla, Complera, Emtriva, Truvada), lamivudine (Epivir, Combivir, Epzicom, Trizivir), tenofovir (Viread), zalcitabine (Hivid), or zidovudine (Retrovir).