Question
Can I drink alcohol with ARVs?
9 September 2014. Related: All topics, Drug interactions, Recreational drugs.
I have started ART a month ago. Before that I used to drink alcohol quite often.
Since I started ART, I try to not drink. But, I still want to.
Can I drink alcohol?
Answer
In general, one or two drink is likely to be fine, if this is something you enjoy. There are no interactions between alcohol and ARVs.
More heavy drinking however can lead to missing doses of your ARVs. This can cause your treatment to fail. This means that if you have a drink, make sure you find a way to not miss any of your meds. Moderation is important.
Two other concerns are important for people living with HIV:
- Alcohol can also make efavirenz side effects worse, in particular feeling dizzy, so be careful about this.
- Alcohol can make hepatitis or other liver complications progress more quickly. Alcohol is not recommended if you have hepatitis. See this information from the guide to HIV and hepatitis C:
https://i-base.info/guides/hepc/alcohol
The NHS website has a lot of information about alcohol. This is important whether you are HIV positive or HIV negative. See:
http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Alcohol/Pages/Alcoholhome.aspx, and
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/Effectsofalcohol.aspx
In the UK, the NHS recommendations for alcohol are:
- Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day. This is only 1-2 pints of lager – ie one strong drink.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/alcohol-units.aspx - Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day
- If you’ve had a heavy drinking session, avoid alcohol for 48 hours.
“Regularly” means drinking this amount every day or most days of the week.
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This question from 2008 was updated in September 2014.
Can I drink black forest or Eno when I’m on Odimune?
Hi Kenneth,
I’m sorry but I am not sure what black forest is. Eno is an antacid, which can interact with some ARVs but there are no interactions expected with Odimune. It’s a good idea to discuss any medications or supplements with your doctor or pharmacist before taking them.
Hi Ben,
Alcohol, even small amount, can damage a weakened liver and accelerate liver damage. I am not a Hep B specialist, and I have been unable to find any guidelines about drinking alcohol when the viral load is undetectable. How dangerous this is is likely to be linked to the extent of your existing liver damage, and how much you drink. The less you drink the better. It’s a good idea to discuss this with your doctor who will be able to advise you on your particular circumstances.
Was diagnised with hep B and hiv, am on treatment with both viral load undetectable and cd4 counts over 650, at times drink a beer with ma friends say 5 bottles but still take my medication and eat well in my hang over, please advise is this a good practice
Hi Sam, it’s fine to drink alcohol with ARVs so long as this is in moderation. As the answer above explains it is important to make sure that this doesn’t affect your adherence and cause you to miss doses. There are no interactions that would mean drinking alcohol would make your treatment less effective. However, Odimune include efavirenz, so alcohol could make these side effects worse, so please reread that part of the answer.
Is it save to drink alcohol only weekend while I’m taking arvs? I’m using Odimmune.
Hi Fortune, your question is answered above. It’s fine to drink with your meds, so long as you don’t get so drunk you forget to take them.
I am taking Tenolam, nevirapine and Cotri and i want to know whether i can still drink alcohol?
I drink but not heavily. I’m taking efavirenz at 9 n have realized that when I’m drinking after takng my pills I become too much drunk after an hour then I will stop and drink water.
I have found that I am unable to drink as much as before – and more frequently pass out and have a sketchy memory of the previous night. Alcohol may not affect ARVs – but the combination certainly seems to affect me!