Question
I am HIV positive – can I drink alcohol or eat pork?
7 January 2017. Related: All topics, CD4 and viral load, Starting treatment, Supplements and herbs.
Hello,
I’m 29 years old and have been HIV positive for almost one year. I have known about my status since December last year. I’m currently living in Germany due to studies and I would like return to my country (Mexico) at the end of this year. My questions are:
1) I have attached the results from the last analysis that have been done and I would like to hear your overall opinion on these and if I should focus in some particular issue.
2) I’m aware that between the last two analyses I went to a party and I drank too much alcohol (about 1.5liters) and I regret it. When you are not on therapy is the alcohol more likely to affect me than when I am on therapy? I mean does it decrease my CD4 and increase my viral load? I don’t want to drink alcohol anymore but it would be nice to know.
3) The Dr. suggested I should not eat pork. I am making big changes in my lifestyle (diet, exercise, etc) and I would like to know if it is possible to estimate when I should start the therapy? I’m worried since I don’t know if I’m going to stay in Germany or move back to Mexico. I’ll be able to know by the end of this year but not before.
My Dr. provided me with this website and I find it amazing with all the information that it’s available for us to learn about the subject.
I really want to thank you all for the great work you do!
Answer
Thank you for your question, and for the feedback – and for your doctor :)
I will try and answer your questions according to the numbers you have given above.
1) Firstly, we are not doctors but HIV treatment advocates.
Monitoring your blood tests you should focus mainly on your CD4 count, your CD4% and your viral load. If you have changes in your liver enzymes, cholesterol or kidney function tests then you would need to monitor those as well.
2) Drinking alcohol will not affect your viral load or CD4 count. T
Moderate alcohol use should not be a problem. It is your decision if you don’t want to drink anymore but it should be because it is what you want to do rather than because you are HIV positive.
The reason you may have been to told to avoid excessive alcohol is that excessive alcohol use can damage the liver. The liver is the organ that filters drugs from the blood so if the liver is damaged then the body has trouble with the HIV treatments.
However, an interesting study showed that HIV positive people not on treatment, might have higher levels of alcohol, (than on ART).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22495786
Also excessive alcohol use can mean that people on medication may forget to take their treatment. This can lead to resistance which means the medication will no longer work.
3. Being HIV positive doesn’t mean you need to change your diet – other than to a more healthy one. A more healthy lifestyle is good for lots of reasons but can still eat the foods your want, including pork. Perhaps ask your doctor the reason they said this.
4. Since 2105, HIV treatment (ART) in generally recommended for everyone, even at high CD4 counts. This means it is good for everyone to think about HIV treatment.
If there are practical issue that mean you cant get treatment for a short time, then if your CD4 count is very high (over 500), this is usually also okay.
Once on treatment your viral load should become undetectable within the first three months.
This Introduction to ART has lots more information.
This answer was updated in January 2017 from a Q&A first posted in May 2010.
Hello Wizzy and thanks for the question.
People living with HIV who are on effective treatment live as much as the general population
How many years can HIV positive person who is under treatment live?
Hello Sam and thank you for getting in touch.
I am very sorry to hear you are not feeling well and that you have been through so much.
You sound like a very strong person, managing to quit alcohol and to get your life back in order.
How are you coping with your diagnosis? Have you managed to speak to someone about it?
I am sending you the link to more information for people who just found out they are living with HIV in case you find it helpful:
https://i-base.info/just-found-out/
As for your pain: what has your doctor said about this?
It is important for your doctor to monitor you as they can help with medication.
They also need to review your ARVs as some will be more suitable than others.
In any case this is a serious disease and you should not be self managing.
What can you do?
You can stay away from alcohol as it will make things worst for you and cause episodes of pain.
You can change your diet to : avoid fatty food (fried food, whole milk, butters, creams, etc.), highly processed food, sugars, eggs might be better tolerated boiled or poached, etc.
Eat more: grains, fruit and vegetable, healthy fat in moderation, lean protein.
Small meals throughout the day might be better tolerated than large meals once or twice a day
Drink more fluids and avoid soda drinks (like Coca Cola)
You could also try seeing a dietician who can provide more expert advice.
Please let us know how you get on.
I was Diagnosed with HIV1 in 2021. My diagnosis caused me a lot of anxiety, stress and depression.
I wasn’t ready to start treatment but started drinking to cope. I developed fatty liver, gallstones and pancreatitis. I have now started treatment but it is triggering my pancreatitis causing extreme pain on a daily basis. I want to remain on treatment but I am struggling. Please help me.
Hi Mr Xcellent, HIV meds are really effective. They reduce viral laod to undetectable but people will still test HIV positive. This is because the HIV test measure an immune response and not the virus. Immune responses stay with us all our lifes, even if we are cured of the virus. A balance diet is great but it also can make the test negative.
hello my name is mr Xcellent from Nigeria, is it possible for someone living with undetectable to still have a hope of test negative when being on drugs steady and also taking balance diet?