Q and A

Question

Can I take a zinc supplement with raltegravir?

Is it ok to take zinc supplements with my meds, which are Isentres and Truvada? I take the HIV meds at lunchtime around 12:30, and am thinking of taking the zinc supplements at dinner time around 7:30 pm.

Answer

Thanks for getting in touch.

To be on the safe side, due to the raltegravir ( please see here: https://i-base.info/guides/3567) it’s best to take the zinc 6hrs before or after you take your ARVs. Therefore, the times that you’ve mentioned work out fine. However, it’s important to add that this only applies if you’re taking raltegravir twice a day, if you’re on the once a day tablet, you should avoid taking zinc.

9 comments

  1. Josh Peasegood

    Hi Jacques, as there is a potential for interaction it is recommended to take them at opposite ends of the day. Zinc can reduce how much Acriptega is absorbed. Taking Acriptega in the morning and Zinc in the evening will prevent this (or vice versa).

  2. Jacques

    Hi there. Is it ok to take vitamin c and zinc with agripteca? Jacques

  3. Josh Peasegood

    Hi Phumlas, I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with acne. Did you have this prior to starting treatment 18 years ago? If the acne has not changed while on treatment, HIV is not the likely cause. Have you spoken to a doctor about these ongoing symptoms?

  4. Phumlas

    I am on arvs for 18 years ,my face face has never been free from acne and pimples.i started taking vitamin c zinc for 4 weeks now and it worsened my acne and pimple problem.
    What could be the problem

  5. Josh Peasegood

    Hi Cebo, as mentioned in the answer, zinc should be taken 6 hours before ARVs or 2 hours after. This will prevent any potential interactions between your ARVs and Zinc.

    Why do you want to take zinc with your ARVs? There is no advice to explicitly recommends taking zinc alongside ARV treatment.

  6. Cebo

    Is it advisable to take Zinc while you are on Arvs treatment?

  7. Heather

    Thanks Lisa :-)

  8. Heather

    There’s limited information on the potential interaction between zinc and raltegravir, but in general the once daily (yellow 600mg tablets) seem to be affected more by the presence of minerals than the twice daily (pink 400mg tablets). The HIV Pharmacy Association advises avoiding zinc completely if taking once daily raltegravir, and separating zinc and raltegravir by 4-6 hours if the twice daily formulation is used. Links to the HIVPA information leaflets:
    https://hivpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Raltegravir-400mg-tablets-.pdf
    https://hivpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Raltegravir-600mg-film-V2.pdf

  9. Lisa Thorley

    Hi Heather,

    Thanks for these links. I’ve edited the response.

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