AIDS Home > Trizivir Uses
Trizivir is used for the treatment of HIV and AIDS in adults. By stopping DNA from being made, the medication can help stop HIV from infecting uninfected cells in the body. Off-label Trizivir uses may also include the prevention of HIV infection in people exposed to the HIV virus (such as a healthcare worker who comes in contact with a contaminated needle stick).
Trizivir® (abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine) is a prescription medication used to treat HIV and AIDS. It contains three separate medications, each of which belongs to a group of medications known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs).
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a significant worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Initially, an HIV infection usually does not cause any obvious symptoms (see HIV Symptoms). However, by killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV will eventually begin to progressively destroy the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers (see AIDS Symptoms).
HIV is commonly spread through sexual contact with an infected partner. HIV transmission also happens through contact with infected blood, which frequently occurs among IV drug users (who share needles or syringes contaminated with blood from someone infected with the virus). Women with HIV can transmit the virus to their babies during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
Trizivir can be used alone or in combination with other HIV medications. Using combinations of medications helps to prevent the virus from becoming resistant to one or more of the drugs.