Research

Hormonal

Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTIs), specifically Dolutegravir (DTG) and Bictegravir (BIC), are associated with significant weight gain compared to older antiretrovirals like Efavirenz (EFV) or Protease Inhibitors.

If you are starting HIV treatment, ask your doctor about INSTIs (like Dolutegravir). They are effective but may cause weight gain, especially in women and Black individuals. If weight gain is a major concern, discuss alternatives like TDF-based regimens or older agents like Efavirenz, though these may have other side effects.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Specifically, INSTIs were associated with more weight gain compared to non-nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and PIs, while bictegravir (BIC) and DTG were associated with more weight gain compared to elvitegravir/cobicistat (EVG/c).
Yesha Patel et al. · Journal of AIDS and HIV Treatment · 2024

Why this rating

Supported by multiple randomized trials (ADVANCE, NAMSAL) and meta-analyses.

Source

Beyond the Numbers: Weight Gain Risk Factors, Implications, and Interventions among Individuals with HIV

Yesha Patel et al. · Journal of AIDS and HIV Treatment · 2024

DOI 10.33696/aids.6.047

narrative_reviewCited 3×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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