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Zidovudine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of zidovudine include foetal exposure during pregnancy, drug exposure during pregnancy, and virologic failure, based on 21,410 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025.

Zidovudine side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for zidovudine.

1
Foetal Exposure During Pregnancy12.3%2,641
2
Drug Exposure During Pregnancy8.8%1,876
3
Virologic Failure4.5%966
4
Exposure During Pregnancy4.4%936
5
Pain4.2%893
6
Emotional Distress3.9%840
7
Anxiety3.9%833
8
Maternal Exposure During Pregnancy3.5%760
9
Anhedonia3.5%759
10
Drug Resistance3.5%751
11
Anaemia3.2%677
12
Pathogen Resistance3.1%668
13
Viral Mutation Identified3.0%653
14
Anaemia2.9%613
15
Premature Baby2.9%611

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that zidovudine caused these reactions.

Report severity

92.5%Serious19,812 reports
25.9%Hospitalizations5,554 reports
10.9%Fatal2,340 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Zidovudine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside zidovudine. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Lamivudine60.5%12,951
2
Ritonavir30.7%6,578
3
Nevirapine24.2%5,186
4
Tenofovir23.8%5,096
5
Efavirenz18.3%3,916
6
Lopinavir17.8%3,802
7
Emtricitabine14.9%3,184
8
Abacavir13.5%2,885
9
Didanosine9.6%2,055
10
Raltegravir-potassium9.3%1,994
11
Stavudine8.4%1,806
12
Nelfinavir-mesylate7.8%1,671
13
Atazanavir-sulfate7.7%1,638
14
Darunavir7.2%1,537
15
Saquinavir4.6%992

Taken alongside

1
Lamivudine19.5%4,173
2
Ritonavir10.6%2,272
3
Tenofovir7.4%1,583
4
Abacavir5.4%1,150
5
Lopinavir5.4%1,148
6
Emtricitabine5.2%1,114
7
Efavirenz4.8%1,036
8
Sulfamethoxazole4.7%1,009
9
Trimethoprim4.0%859
10
Nevirapine3.3%709
11
Atazanavir-sulfate3.2%680
12
Darunavir3.2%678
13
Raltegravir-potassium3.1%665
14
Amoxicillin2.9%616
15
Dolutegravir2.7%583

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports zidovudine side effects

36.5% of zidovudine adverse event reports involve female patients and 40.4% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 76%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female36.5%
Male40.4%
Unknown23.1%

Age group

< 215.8%
2–113.5%
12–171.8%
18–6475.7%
65+3.3%

What is zidovudine used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking zidovudine when the adverse event was reported.

Accidental ExposureAccidental Exposure To ProductAccidental Needle StickAcquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcute Hiv InfectionAdult T-cell Lymphoma/leukaemiaAicardi^s SyndromeAnaemiaAngiocentric LymphomaAntifungal ProphylaxisAntiretroviral TherapyAntiviral ProphylaxisAntiviral TreatmentAplastic Anaemia

Showing 15 of 204 indications

Zidovudine brand names and reporting trend

Zidovudine is sold under the brand name Lamivudine/nevirapine/zidovudine Tablets.

Brand names

Lamivudine/nevirapine/zidovudine Tablets12,407

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking zidovudine with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.