Kaletra is taken by mouth and is available in tablet form. Depending on the treatment plan, adults may take it once or twice daily.
Kaletra tablets can generally be taken with or without food. Swallow the tablets whole with water and do not crush, chew, or break them.
Try to take each dose at the same time every day. Maintaining a consistent schedule helps keep the amount of medication in your body steady and supports continuous control of HIV.
Why Consistent Dosing Is Important
Kaletra works best when it is taken exactly as prescribed.
Skipping doses, taking doses late, or stopping treatment can allow HIV to multiply again. This may cause the viral load to increase and can make it easier for the virus to develop resistance to the medication.
Drug resistance can reduce the effectiveness of Kaletra and may limit future HIV treatment options.
If you have trouble following your medication schedule, speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist rather than changing the regimen on your own.
Do Not Take More Than Prescribed
Taking more Kaletra than prescribed will not improve HIV control and may increase the risk of side effects.
Always follow the dose and schedule provided by your healthcare provider. Do not double your dose after a missed dose unless specifically instructed to do so.
If you accidentally take more than prescribed, contact a healthcare provider or poison control center for guidance.
Taking Kaletra With Didanosine
If Kaletra is used together with didanosine, special attention may be needed when scheduling the medications.
Kaletra tablets may be taken at the same time as didanosine, but didanosine is generally taken on an empty stomach.
Follow the instructions provided by your doctor or pharmacist so that both medications are taken correctly.
How Is the Kaletra Dose Determined?
The appropriate dose of Kaletra depends on several factors.
Your healthcare provider may consider your age, body weight, treatment history, viral resistance profile, other medical conditions, and any medications you are taking.
Some medicines can significantly change the amount of lopinavir or ritonavir in the body, so your doctor may need to adjust your treatment regimen or avoid certain drug combinations.
Recommended Dosage for Adults
The recommended total daily dose for many adults is 800 mg of lopinavir and 200 mg of ritonavir.
Depending on the patient, this may be given as:
- 400 mg of lopinavir and 100 mg of ritonavir twice daily, or
- 800 mg of lopinavir and 200 mg of ritonavir once daily.
Once-daily dosing is only appropriate for certain patients.
Your healthcare provider will decide whether once- or twice-daily dosing is suitable based on factors such as previous treatment, viral resistance, and other medications.
When Once-Daily Dosing May Not Be Appropriate
Once-daily Kaletra is not recommended for every patient.
People with certain lopinavir-associated resistance mutations, some patients taking interacting medications, pediatric patients, and pregnant patients may need twice-daily dosing instead.
Your healthcare provider will select the dosing schedule that provides the most reliable viral suppression for your situation.
Dosage for Pediatric Patients
Kaletra may be used in pediatric patients 14 days of age and older.
Once-daily dosing is not recommended for children. Pediatric doses are usually given twice daily and are calculated according to body weight or body surface area.
Because children grow and gain weight, the dose may need to be recalculated periodically.
Regular follow-up allows the healthcare provider to make sure the child continues receiving an appropriate amount of medication.
Dosage for Infants
Very young infants require especially careful dosing because their bodies process medications differently from older children and adults.
For infants 14 days to 6 months of age, dosing is usually based on body weight or body surface area and is given twice daily.
Treatment in this age group should be closely managed by a healthcare provider experienced in pediatric HIV care.
Dosage During Pregnancy
Pregnant patients generally require twice-daily dosing.
For pregnant patients without documented lopinavir-associated resistance substitutions, a commonly recommended dose is 400 mg of lopinavir and 100 mg of ritonavir twice daily.
Once-daily dosing is not recommended during pregnancy.
Your healthcare provider may monitor viral load and treatment response more closely throughout pregnancy to help maintain effective viral suppression.
Why Dosing May Change During Treatment
Your dose or treatment schedule may change over time.
Changes may be needed because of new medications, side effects, pregnancy, changes in weight, laboratory results, or evidence that the virus has developed resistance.
Never adjust the dose on your own. Any change should be made under the guidance of your healthcare provider.
Tell Your Doctor About All Other Medications
Ritonavir strongly affects liver enzymes that process many medications.
Because of this, Kaletra can interact with a large number of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, supplements, and herbal products.
Some combinations can increase side effects, while others can reduce the effectiveness of Kaletra or another medication.
Before starting Kaletra, give your healthcare provider a complete list of everything you take.
What If You Miss a Dose?
If you miss a dose of Kaletra, take it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for your next scheduled dose.
If your next dose is close, skip the missed dose and return to your regular schedule.
Do not take two doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose.
Because repeated missed doses can increase the risk of HIV resistance, contact your healthcare provider if you are frequently missing doses.
Do Not Stop Kaletra Suddenly
Do not stop Kaletra or any other HIV medication without first speaking with your healthcare provider.
Stopping treatment can allow HIV to begin multiplying again. This may increase your viral load, reduce CD4 cell levels, and increase the chance that the virus develops resistance.
If side effects are making it difficult to continue treatment, contact your healthcare provider. Your regimen may be adjusted without unnecessarily interrupting HIV treatment.
Monitoring During Treatment
Regular monitoring helps determine whether Kaletra is controlling HIV effectively and whether it is causing any unwanted effects.
Your healthcare provider may periodically check your viral load, CD4 cell count, liver function, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, and other laboratory values.
These results can help guide treatment decisions and identify problems early.
How Long Will You Need to Take Kaletra?
HIV treatment is generally long term.
Continue taking Kaletra and the other antiretroviral medications in your regimen every day, even if you feel well or your viral load becomes undetectable.
An undetectable viral load means the treatment is working, not that HIV has been eliminated from the body. Staying consistent with treatment is important for maintaining viral suppression.
REVIEWS