Lamivudine may be marketed under the brand name Epivir, but generic versions are also available. It is taken in combination with other antiretroviral drugs.

Lamivudine should not be used with the anti-HIV drug emtricitabine.

You should not take lamivudine if you are taking high doses of the antibiotic cotrimoxazole or taking cladribine, used to treat a type of blood cancer called hairy cell leukaemia.

Lactic acidosis (too much lactic acid in the blood), liver damage.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, general feeling of being unwell, cough, runny nose, abdominal pain, hair loss, fever, insomnia, rash, tiredness, muscle and joint pain.

Take with or without food.

The usual adult dose of lamivudine is 300mg per day, taken as either one 300mg tablet once a day, or one 150mg tablet twice a day. It is available as a generic drug, so its appearance will vary. Lamivudine is also available in a combination tablet with either zidovudine or abacavir, and in the single-tablet regimen Triumeq.