Emtricitabine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

How emtricitabine is dosed

From the FDA label for Emtriva (application NDA021500). Other emtricitabine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Testing: Prior to or when initiating EMTRIVA test for hepatitis B virus infection. ( 2.1 ) EMTRIVA may be taken without regard to food. ( 2.2 ) Adult Patients (18 years of age and older) ( 2.3 ): EMTRIVA capsules: One 200 mg capsule administered once daily orally. EMTRIVA oral solution: 240 mg (24 mL) administered once daily orally. Pediatric Patients (0–3 months of age) ( 2.4 ): EMTRIVA oral solution: 3 mg/kg administered once daily orally. Pediatric Patients (3 months through 17 years of age) ( 2.5 ): EMTRIVA capsules: For children weighing more than 33 kg who can swallow an intact capsule, one 200 mg capsule administered once daily orally. EMTRIVA oral solution: 6 mg/kg up to a maximum of 240 mg (24 mL) administered once daily orally. Dose interval adjustment in adult patients with renal impairment ( 2.6 ): Creatinine Clearance (mL/min) Formulation ≥50 mL/min 30–49 mL/min 15–29 mL/min <15 mL/min or on hemodialysis Hemodialysis Patients: If dosing on day of dialysis, give dose after dialysis. Capsule (200 mg) 200 mg every 24 hours 200 mg every 48 hours 200 mg every 72 hours 200 mg every 96 hours Oral Solution (10 mg/mL) 240 mg every 24 hours (24 mL) 120 mg every 24 hours (12 mL) 80 mg every 24 hours (8 mL) 60 mg every 24 hours (6 mL) 2.1 Testing Prior to Initiation of Treatment with EMTRIVA Prior to or when initiating EMTRIVA, test patients for hepatitis B virus infection…

Emtricitabine side effects

Who shouldn’t take emtricitabine

Emtricitabine drug interactions

Combination products containing emtricitabine

A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.

• Atripla
• Biktarvy
• Complera
• Descovy
• Genvoya
• Odefsey
• Stribild
• Truvada
• Emtricitabine and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate
• Symtuza

How long emtricitabine keeps

The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some emtricitabine labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 3 months.

Emtricitabine and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

Emtricitabine has been studied relatively well during breastfeeding, and it is sometime used in treating HIV-positive mothers who are breastfeeding. Achieving and maintaining viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy decreases breastfeeding transmission risk to less than 1%, but not zero. Individuals with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy with a sustained undetectable viral load and who choose to breastfeed should be supported in this decision. If a viral load is not suppressed, banked pasteurized donor milk or formula is recommended.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised March 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about emtricitabine

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 23,598 reports naming emtricitabine, and the FDA flagged 94% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

• foetal exposure during pregnancy2,724 reports
• maternal exposure during pregnancy1,933 reports
• abortion spontaneous987 reports
• virologic failure894 reports
• drug resistance657 reports
• exposure during pregnancy623 reports
• osteoporosis571 reports
• immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome529 reports

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved September 25, 2026.

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