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.
Hi Inno,
As with negative people you should try and have a healthy diet. There aren’t any specific foods that you should eat.
Hi Tunde,
Weight loss can be due to many issues, of which stress is one. It could be this. With regards to how you contracted HIV, I can’t tell you this. For my your husband may be negative please see Q5 here:
http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
And the following:
http://i-base.info/htb/32308
Hi
I am HIV positive and have been so worried and asking my self so many questions.I have loose so much weight but i am not sick.I discovered this last year April and could not believe my husband was negative though my secretary died because of the disease.My husband does not believe me when I say i did not have sex with another man.he keeps on saying it,s because i was cheating on him.When we met the doctor together for another test the doctor said it can only be gotten from sex and that there is no other way about to get this virus.After a while we have been having sex but he is not infected that should be after about six months when i started treatment with a CD4 count of about 650.My main issue now is that i can not understand how this came about and my husband is negative.I am on ARVs and a tablet a day and have been taking this for a year now.I am so stress up and have loose weight what will i do to keep away from stress and gain weight again.
Hi Innocent,
Yes you can drink cold drinks, and yes you can be a police officer.
I’m positive and on ART. Can I drink cold drinks and can I be a police officer?
Hi Unknown,
Its very possible that this could be a lab error, therefore if its possible you should have your viral load retested.
If you have developed resistance, this is something that your doctor will be able to help you with.
Just found out that my viral load has increased from undetectable to 65. I take my meds nicely. I’m worried, does over working or stress causes this? I want it to be undetectable again.
Sweetness, I’m trying to answer you about your weight,
After I was diagnosed in 2015 Oct 15 I then later lost weight from 38 to 36 and had too many side effects and that time I was 49 years of age.
I got heart attack and my sibling had to help with massages and other things and I didn’t tell her of my status only my daughter and son knew.
I managed to overcome the ordeal and gradually overcame it and recovered and had Xmas with them when they I think were under stressful situation, anyway I then picked up weight bit by bit
This year 2017 Aug 16th I picked up to 70kg compared to 2016 Aug 2016 when I was at 56. Eating well like vegetables everyday or otherwise, taking your medicine consistently that as well made me to conquer.
Hope my answer and sharing will help thanks a million God bless all
Hi Lucas,
For what will happen if someone stops meds, please see here:
http://i-base.info/qa/11921
Even if you do stop, which isn’t advised, yes you can go back to taking meds. You will though need to talk to your doctor first as they will need to do some tests.
If you started to take HIV treatment for a year and stop eating it for a 12 months period what happens to your body? The second one is this, do you still have a chance to take them again?