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Hello and Happy Valentine's Day! I will soon be starting hiv medications for the first time and my doctor mentioned that it will probably be Atripla. I currently take 20mg. of simvastatin per day for high cholesterol. Are these 2 drugs ok to take together? I take the simvastatin right before I go to bed which is also when I will be taking the Atripla. Thank you.
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Response from Dr. McGowan
Happy Valentine's Day to you too! Simvastatin levels in the body can be reduced by the efavirenz component of Atripla. For this reason, efavirenz may reduce the anti-cholesterol effect of the simvastatin that you are taking. Your doctor should monitor your cholesterol (lipids) once you are started on Atripla and he might even end up increasing the dose of your simvastatin. If this occurs, your doctor will, I am sure, monitor you closely for any side effects from the increased dose of your statin. Thank you for your interesting question. Joe
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