Zidovudine: What It Is, How It Works, and What You Need to Know

When you hear zidovudine, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used to treat HIV infection. Also known as AZT, it was one of the first drugs approved to fight HIV and helped turn a death sentence into a manageable condition. It doesn’t cure HIV, but it stops the virus from copying itself inside your cells. That’s how it keeps viral load low and gives your immune system a chance to recover.

Zidovudine doesn’t work alone. It’s almost always part of a combo called ART — antiretroviral therapy. You’ll see it paired with other drugs like lamivudine or efavirenz. That’s because HIV mutates fast. One drug isn’t enough. The combo approach keeps the virus from slipping through. This is why you’ll find so many posts here about antiretroviral drug interactions, how certain medications can interfere with HIV treatment. Things like statins, antibiotics, or even common antacids can mess with how well zidovudine works — or make side effects worse.

Side effects are real. Fatigue, nausea, headaches — they’re common at first. But the big one is bone marrow suppression. That means your body might make fewer red and white blood cells. That’s why regular blood tests aren’t optional. If your numbers drop too low, your doctor might switch you. You’ll also see posts here about boosted protease inhibitors, a class of HIV drugs that can raise zidovudine levels in the blood. That sounds good, but too much can be dangerous. Timing and dosing matter. A single pill taken at the wrong time with another drug can change everything.

People often ask if there are better options now. Yes, newer drugs like tenofovir or dolutegravir have fewer side effects and are easier to take. But zidovudine still has a place — especially in pregnancy to prevent mother-to-child transmission, or in places where newer meds aren’t available. It’s not glamorous, but it’s proven. And in the right mix, it still saves lives.

You’ll find posts here that dig into how zidovudine fits into bigger pictures — like how it interacts with other meds, what to do when side effects hit, or why some people switch away from it. This isn’t just about one drug. It’s about understanding how HIV treatment works as a system. Whether you’re a patient, a caregiver, or just trying to make sense of it all, the articles below give you real, no-fluff answers.