Hello Dr. Fawcett As my title states, Why must Complera be taken with a meal? I myself have been taking Atripla for three years and it has been working great (Knock on wood) :-) A friend of mine was also on Atripla but he was experiencing chronic G.I. problems. His doctor thought it might have to do with the Atripla. I'm assuming the problem was being caused by the efavirenz?? I'm very curious to know exactly why Complera must be taken with a high caloric content meal. I've done a bit of research and haven't been able to find a definitive answer or at least one that I can fully understand. From what I've found it has to do with the way the med is absorbed. Most people normally don't count their calorie intake per meal. So, what might be an example of an adequate meal? Thank you for your time. Sincerely, "An overly curious guy" :-)

The NNRTI in Complera, rilpivirine, is sensitive to stomach acid levels and fat content regarding absorption from stomach into blood stream (high fat and high stomach acid increases absorption=higher levels= more anti HIV activity) thus the recommendation to take with a meal and to avoid strong stomach acid reducing agents. KH