Question
Can I drink alcohol with Atripla?
29 April 2010. Related: All topics, Side effects.
Does ‘an empty stomach’ mean no drinking alcohol either? And if so what are the consequences? Could one develop resistance or stop the medication from working at their full potential by drinking alcohol? I have been on Atripla for the last three years and although I am careful not to eat for at least two hours before I take my meds I have a glass or two of wine (sometimes three). Should I worry? Thank you
Answer
Thank you for your question.
Drinking wine before taking Atripla will not cause resistance to the medication. If you forget to take the medication because you have drunk too much wine it may cause resistance.
Drinking alcohol will not stop the medication from working. The recommendation to take Atripla on an empty stomach is to reduce side effects to the medication such as nausea, dizziness, trouble sleeping and so on. Excessive alcohol consumption can sometimes make these side effects more severe.
Alcohol in moderation should be fine. Excessive use of alcohol can cause problems. As with all medications, HIV treatment is filtered from the blood by the liver. Excessive drinking can cause damage to liver which can be more severe if you are on HIV medication.
Hi Stola, you can see information about Atripla side effects in our HIV meds page, and our side effects guide. Purbac double stength is a version of co-trimoxazole. This is a medicine used to prevent or treat a type of pneumonia called PCP. This is recommended for anybody with a CD4 count under 200 to help prevent them getting sick.
Gonna start taking Atripla with Purbac double strength,any side effects,or are they the same.
Stress can cause weight loss. I’m very sorry to hear you are so worried and isolated. Its important to try to find some support to help you come to terms with being HIV positive. If you live in Swaziland you could contact SWAPOL or SWANNEPHA for support.
Hi,I’m not sure about my weight because I was hospitalised when I found out about my status. I had pneumonia and I was weighing 68,then I started noticing my weight is going down,I was size 36 now my trousers are loose,do u think maybe its stress or I might be worried because no one knws my status. I stil haven’t accepted my status.
Hi,
If you are losing weight without trying to this is something you should discuss with your doctor. Normally people gain weight after starting HIV treatment. How much weight have you lost, and what was your weight when you started treatment?
If you have the flu, or any other symptoms, you should tell your doctor. S/he will be able to tell you what treatment is needed if any.
Hi,I hav just started odimune in september so my question is I hav started noticing my weight going down,but I had side effects in the first few weeks but now its fine,n if I had flu wat must I take coz I’m already on odimune
If you are a couple of hours late, then still take your meds.
If you only realise when you come to take the next dose, do not double-up your doses.
If you have been good with adherence in general, and especially if your viral load is undetectable, a single missed dose is unlikely to have any negative impact on your health, so long as this doesn’t happen regularly.
What do I do if I remember to take my meds 2 or 3 hours later, can I still take it for that day or not, what is the grace period? and what if I forget completely that day, can I double the dose the following day?
Odimune is a generic version of Atripla that is available in some countries.
Odimune and Atripla include the same active ingredients (efavirenz, tenofovir and FTC) and the same doses, but are made by different companies.
I have been taking Atripla since March 2011, I just receive a call from my pharmacy informing me that I’ll have to pay more for Atripla because it is an original med or I can change to Odimune which is generic & cheaper, is this advisable? Do these meds work the same way? I’m concerned & not sure what to do.