HIV drugs have a knack for nasty side effects, but it's tough to get reliable stats. This chart offers figures primarily from drug companies' clinical trials, but solely relying on them can minimize or exclude many problems, such as hair loss with 3TC, and lipodystrophy and severe gas with protease inhibitors. Whenever you experience side effects, consult your doctor.
| Side Effects Reported | Incidence Rates* |
| PROTEASE INHIBITORS |
| Saquinavir (Invirase or Fortovase) |
| Diarrhea | 15-20% |
| Vomiting | 3-5% |
| Nausea | 10-15% |
| Acid reflux | 9% |
| Headaches | 5-9% |
| Fatigue | 5-9% |
| Elevated liver enzymes | 2-6% |
| Ritonavir (Norvir) |
| Weakness | 9-28% |
| Abdominal pain | 4-7% |
| Decreased appetite | 6-8% |
| Nausea | 23-47% |
| Diarrhea | 18-22% |
| Vomiting | 15-22% |
| Paresthesia (mouth tingling or numbness) | 5-6% |
| Altered taste sensations | 5-16% |
| Elevated liver enzymes | 3-15% |
| Elevated creatinine (measure of kidney function) | 7-9% |
| Indinavir (Crixivan) |
| Kidney stone or sludge/flank pain | 4-37% |
| Elevated liver enzymes | 10-12% |
| Abdominal pain | 9% |
| Nausea | 2-7% |
| Nelfinavir (Viracept) |
| Diarrhea | 20-32% |
| Nausea | 2-7% |
| Amprenavir (Agenerase) |
| Diarrhea | 51% |
| Nausea | 37% |
| Vomiting | 23% |
| Headache | 24% |
| Rash | 28% |
| Paresthesia | 25% |
| Fatigue | 23% |
| Side Effects Reported | Incidence Rates* |
| NUCLEOSIDE ANALOGS |
| AZT (Retrovir)** |
| Anemia | 1-29% |
| Granulocytopenia (shortage of a type of white blood cell) | 2-37% |
| Abdominal pain | 9% |
| Decreased appetite | 20% |
| Constipation | 6% |
| Dizziness | 6% |
| Headache | 18% |
| Muscle Pain | 62% |
| Nausea | 51% |
| Vomiting | 17% |
| 3TC (Epivir) |
| Diarrhea | 18% |
| Nausea | 3% |
| Dizziness | 10% |
| Decreased appetite | 10% |
| Depression | 9% |
| Insomnia | 11% |
| Nasal problems | 20% |
| Headache | 35% |
| d4T (Zerit) |
| Peripheral neuropathy | 13-24% |
| Pancreatitis | 7-13% |
| Abdominal pain | 34% |
| Nausea and vomiting | 38% |
| Diarrhea | 50% |
| Headache | 54% |
| Rash | 40% |
| Insomnia | 29% |
| Decreased appetite | 19% |
| Elevated liver enzymes | 11-13% |
| Neutropenia (shortage of a type of white blood cell) | 5% |
| Elevated amylase levels (indicator of possible pancreatitis | 14% |
| ddC (Hivid) |
| Peripheral neuropathy | 22-35% |
| ddI (Videx) |
| Peripheral neropathy | 16-34% |
| Pancreatitis | 7-13% |
| Diarrhea | 16-34% |
| Abacavir (Ziagen) |
| Nausea | 47% |
| Diarrhea | 12% |
| Decreased appetite | 11% |
| Insomnia | 7% |
| Hypersensitivity reaction | 3-5% |
| Side Effects Reported | Incidence Rates* |
| NUCLEOTIDE ANALOG |
| Adefovir (Preveon) |
| Renal (kidney) toxicities | 17-32% |
| NNRTIs (NONNUCLEOSIDE REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE INHIBITORS) |
| Nevirapine (Viramune) |
| Rash | 24-37% |
| Delavirdine (Rescriptor) |
| Rash | 18% |
| Neutropenia | 3-7% |
| Elevated amylase levels | 1-7% |
| Efavirenz (Sustiva) |
| Central nervous system problems (headache, insomnia, dizziness, malaise, anxiety | 25-40% |
| Rash | 12% |
| Nausea | 10-20% |
* Only side effects reported by at least 5 percent of the drug's users are included.
** Some percentages listed here date from AZT's earliest use, with a much higher dosage than is now recommended |