Alternative Medicine
The following information is specific for alternative and complementary medicine.
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Also indexed as:
d4T, Stauvudine, Zerit
Stavudine is used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. It is in a class of drugs known as antivirals.
An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary
indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary,
and/or contradictory scientific evidence.
A 30-year-old woman who was taking stavudine developed a rare side effect called lactic acidosis, which was successfully treated with intravenous thiamine.1 Controlled studies are needed to determine whether lactic acidosis might be prevented if people taking stavudine supplement with vitamin B1. Until more information is available, some health practitioners may recommend supplemental vitamin B1 to individuals taking stavudine.
Severe peripheral neuropathy (painful sensations due to nerve damage in the hands and feet)
often develops in people taking stavudine or other drugs in its class. People with peripheral
neuropathy who were taking one of these drugs were found to be deficient in
acetyl-L-carnitine.2 In a preliminary trial, supplementing
with 1,500 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine twice a day resulted in improvement in the
neuropathy after six months in people taking stavudine or related
drugs.3 Similar benefits were seen in another study that used the same amount of acetyl-L-carnitine.4
Schramm C, Wanitschke R, Galle PR. Thiamin for the treatment of nucleoside analogue-induced severe lactic acidosis. Eur J Anaesthesiol 1999;16:733-5.
Famularo G, Moretti S, Marcellini S, et al. Acetyl-carnitine deficiency in AIDS patients with neurotoxicity on treatment with antiretroviral nucleoside analogues. AIDS
1997;11:185-90.
Hart AM, Wilson ADH, Montovani C, et al. Acetyl-l-carnitine: a
pathogenesis based treatment for HIV-associated antiretroviral toxic neuropathy.
AIDS 2004;18:1549-60.
Herzmann C, Johnson MA, Youle M. Long-term effect of acetyl-L-carnitine for antiretroviral toxic neuropathy. HIV Clin Trials 2005;6:344-50.
The information presented in Healthnotes is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.
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