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
If you have finished your course of TB meds and the efavirenz doesn’t give you side effects, then it is fine to go back to Atripla. Which HIV meds were you taking when you were on TB treatment?
If you always work night shifts you will need to take the Atripla before bed though, whatever time this is for you. This might make you drowsy on days when you are not working though.
If you often change between day shifts and night shifts or this becomes difficult, then talk to your doctor about alternatives that might be easier.
This is why Atprila is often not used by people on shift work.
Hi,i started taking Atripla last year May,and I experienced severe hallucinations,tiredness the morning afta,I ws diagnosed with TB 3 months afta taking my Atripla,I took both meds separate(2hr-in between),I want to go back to work nyt shift,do you think it is a good idea????,I’ve finished my TB treatment,and the side effects I usually had in the mornings are gone,can I go back to workiing nyt shift?Thank u
Hi Jimmy,
Can I ask why you don’t take your meds the same time each day? Have you tried to do this?
Because Atripla stays in the body longer that some other ARVs it’s less likely that you will get resistance from being irregular with this treatment than with others. But the more often you stretch the time between doses the more likely you will develop resistance to your drugs. Please see these pages about adherence from more information.
It’s important to talk to your doctor about the difficulties you are having taking your treatment. S/he should be able to suggest ways to help improve this so that you have the best chance of treatment working long into the future.
hello
i ve been taking Aeripla for last 4 years , yet never take it i the same time and when i take it i take it i middle of my dinner or some times breakfast , sometimes i take it while finish drinking , my HIV tests always fine , my questions is will that effect my health in the future ? and how ? thank you
Hi Dave,
Advocates at i-Base are not doctors and we have no formal medical qualifications. Information is intended to support discussions with your doctor and other healthcare professionals. All decisions relating to treatment should be made in discussion with your doctors.
Generally speaking tablets are more heat stable than other forms of medication, such as capsules. The advice for Atripla is to keep it in a ‘cool, dry, place’ at temperatures no higher than 15ºC, or higher than 30ºC.
That being said, however, if this is just one pill being kept for emergencies then it is likely that even if it is slightly less potent from being exposed to high temperatures it is still better than nothing. And, if you are stable on Atripla (with an undetectable viral load), missing one dose is not something you should be overly worried about (provided this isn’t a regular occurrence). You can read more about missing doses of Atripla at this previous question.
Hi Dr,
How heat sensitive is atripla? I like to keep an emergency pill on my keyring and I’m just concerned that it may get degraded by being left in the car etc?
Thanks,
Dave
Hi Happiness,
It’s not a good idea to miss doses of your treatment because this could lead to resistance. You might have been lucky but if you have resistance this will show up in viral load testing.
hello, i would like to know, i have been drinking atripla for 6 months i think in those months i skipped one or two weekends cz of partying,,wil tht affect me in a bad way
Hi Lungi,
How often are you drinking until late in the evening? It’s not a good idea to be late taking Atripla too often, especially at the start of treatment. You should aim to take it about the same time everyday. Being late occasionally might be OK, but the more often you are late the more likely you will develop resistance. You can read more about adherence, and why it’s important, in our introduction to combination therapy guide.
I have been taking atripla for 3months now didn’t get any kind of side effect the only problem is that I drink until late I don’t wanna mix alcohol with my medication normally I take my medication at 22:30 when I’m about to sleep but when I’m out ill come back around 2:00 in the morning and only take them then is that a problem can it creat problems on my health thank you.