Hi BVA
regarding HIV drugs if you are following apha book I would suggest you to mainly concentrate on tables.
I am just posting the wonderful tips that one our friends in forums posted and they were really helpful....
i would recommend to:
-Study the class of toxicity of the 3 drug classes, then specific
toxicty that is charactaristic to some medications for example know
that Cirixivan cause nephrolithiasis so the patient had to drink a lot
of water and so on.
-Know which class need dose adjustment in hepatic and renal impairement and the exception in each class.
-Know that Zidovudine is the only HIV medication that is available IV.
-Know which need to be taken on empty stomach and which with food. Also
know why Videx must be adminstered with a buffer (to prevent gastric
acid degradtion of Videx) and this way should be separated from
medication that need acidic environment for absorbtion as azoles
antifungals, quinolones, tetracyclines, indinavir, retonavir and
delavirdine.
-Know the 4 contraindication for the use of amprenavir oral solution,
and it should be avoided in sulfa allergy and it is adminstered with
vit E and propylene glycol.
-Know that ritonavir, kaletra caps and enfuvirtide(only one SC adminsteration) should be refrigerated.
-Know therapy during pregnancy.
-know post exposure prophylaxis.
-Know primary prophylaxis for PCP and MAC and when it should be started and when it should be stopped.
-Know how HIV diagnosed: ELISA for screening and Western blot for confirmation.
-Know how HIV monitored: Viral load and CD4 cell count, know what each of them assess.
*It is optional for you if after all that you feel that you can still
have some space in your mind to know the prophylaxis and maintainence
of the toxoplasmosis, meningitis and the rest of the big tables in the
APHA, for me i only browsed through this part.
*It is also optional if you can know the combination of medication in
each class as combivir is zidovudine and lamuvidine. For me i studied
the combination medication names in the 3 classes.
Those are the broad lines to make it easier for you guys to study the HIV chapter. I hope that helped.
Good Luck.
