Are azt (zidovudine) type meds safe?

That depends: Azt (zidovudine) ishas a lot of side effects and toxicity, which is why it's less often used in the U.S. And other resource-rich countries these days. The more commonly used drugs in this class (the nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or nrtis) are tenofovir, abacavir, lamivudine, and emtricitabine. These drugs are safer, more convenient, and more potent.