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Disclaimer: This information is not meant to substitute for professional advice; please consult your medical provider or pharmacist.

Drug Dosing Toolkit

AZT (Retrovir, zidovudine, ZDV)

Type of Drug: Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
(NRTI, nucleoside analogue, "nuke")

Approved adult dosing

one 300 mg tablet, two times a day

  • Morning

    Retrovir 300

    Retrovir 300 mg

  • Evening

    Retrovir 300

    Retrovir 300 mg

two 100 mg capsules, three times a day

  • Morning

    Retrovir 100Retrovir 100

    Retrovir 100 mg

  • Mid-day

    Retrovir 100Retrovir 100

    Retrovir 100 mg

  • Evening

    Retrovir 100Retrovir 100

    Retrovir 100 mg

My doctor's instructions

Notes on taking this medication

  • No food restrictions, can take with or without food
  • Persons with kidney problems may need an adjustment of their dose of AZT
  • Cannot take AZT with Zerit

Side effects

  • Nausea; stomach discomfort; headache
  • Symptoms of anemia (low red blood cell count): fatigue; shortness of breath
  • More rarely: muscle wasting; neutropenia (low white blood cell count)
  • Changes in body-fat distribution
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