Taking SUNLENCA®
What to expect when starting treatment
Take your shot with SUNLENCA
There are 2 approaches to starting treatment with SUNLENCA. Your healthcare provider will discuss the options
for starting SUNLENCA
with you.
To start SUNLENCA, you will take SUNLENCA pills (300 mg each) in addition to receiving injections. You can take the SUNLENCA pills by mouth, with or without food. SUNLENCA pills will be delivered through a specialty pharmacy either to your home or to your provider’s office. Be sure to work with your healthcare team to coordinate delivery from the specialty pharmacy.
INITIATION OPTION 1: Same-day start
Remember, SUNLENCA works with your other HIV-1 medications. Continue to take all of your other HIV-1 medicines as prescribed by your doctor.
INITIATION OPTION 2: Step-by-step start
Remember, SUNLENCA works with your other HIV-1 medications. Continue to take all of your other HIV-1 medicines as prescribed by your doctor.
Continuing treatment with SUNLENCA
Once you’ve started SUNLENCA, you will get 2 injections from your healthcare provider every 6 months.* Make sure to attend your appointments as scheduled.
MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULE: Continuing treatment
Remember, SUNLENCA works with your other HIV-1 medications. Continue to take all of your other HIV-1 medicines as prescribed by your doctor.
*
Maintenance appointments can be scheduled up to 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the 6-month mark. If you miss a SUNLENCA appointment, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible. They’ll determine if and how you should continue with SUNLENCA, including whether temporarily switching to an oral dosage may be an option for you.
What happens if I have to miss one of my injections?
It's important that you attend your planned appointments with your healthcare provider to receive your SUNLENCA
injections. If you know that you are going to miss a scheduled 6-month injection
visit by more than 2 weeks, call your healthcare
provider right away to discuss your
treatment options. You may have the option to take SUNLENCA tablets temporarily. This is called
oral bridging. During this time, you will take 1 SUNLENCA 300-mg tablet once every 7 days until your
injections resume. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to start oral bridging and when to resume your
SUNLENCA injections.
Talk to your healthcare provider right away if you cannot attend a scheduled injection appointment. Missing SUNLENCA treatment could allow HIV to change and become harder to treat.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before starting SUNLENCA?
Before receiving or taking SUNLENCA, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including:
- If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if SUNLENCA can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment with SUNLENCA.
- If you are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks of breastfeeding during treatment with SUNLENCA.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements, including St. John’s wort. Some medicines may interact with SUNLENCA. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider.
- You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with SUNLENCA.
- Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take SUNLENCA with other medicines.
- SUNLENCA may affect certain other medicines for up to 9 months after your last injection.
