Saquinavir (Invirase) – Side Effects, Interactions, Uses, Dosage, Warnings

You should not take saquinavir if you are allergic to it, or if you have:

• a serious heart condition called "AV block" (unless you have a pacemaker);
• long QT syndrome (in you or a family member);
• severe liver disease;
• low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood;
• if you also take medicine that contains cobicistat; or
• if you have taken rilpivirine in the past 2 weeks.

Life-threatening side effects may occur if you take saquinavir and ritonavir with certain other medicines. Your doctor may change your treatment plan if you also use:

• other HIV medicines–atazanavir, rilpivirine;
• alfuzosin;
• oral midazolam, or triazolam;
• sildenafil (Revatio, for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension);
• tacrolimus;
• antidepressant or anti-psychotic medicine–chlorpromazine, clozapine, haloperidol, lurasidone, mesoridazine, pimozide, thioridazine, trazodone, ziprasidone;
• cancer medicine–dasatinib, sunitinib;
• certain anti-infective medicines–clarithromycin, dapsone, erythromycin, halofantrine, pentamidine, rifampin;
• cholesterol medication–lovastatin, simvastatin;
• ergot medicine–dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, ergonovine, methylergonovine; or
• heart rhythm medicine–amiodarone, disopyramide, dofetilide, flecainide, lidocaine, propafenone, or quinidine.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• heart disease;
• liver disease (including hepatitis B or C);
• hemophilia (a bleeding disorder);
• cirrhosis, alcoholism;
• diabetes; or
• hereditary galactose intolerance, severe lactase deficiency, or glucose-galactose malabsorption.

To prevent HIV in a newborn baby, use all medications to control your infection during pregnancy. Your name may be listed on an antiviral pregnancy registry.

Saquinavir can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about other birth control options such as an injection, implant, skin patch, vaginal ring, condom, diaphragm, cervical cap, or contraceptive sponge.

Women with HIV should not breastfeed. The virus can pass to your baby in your breast milk.

Not approved for use by anyone younger than 16 years old.