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 ..I just tested positive today 8 October..and I’ve been feeling down since..is there any group I can join for support. And I also got the drug today is it possible to be taking it before bed to reduce side effect?
Hi Wally,
When someone starts meds its possible that they will have side effects like this for a few weeks. This is because it can take some time for a persons body to get used to the medication. If its last longer than this, then you should talk to your doctor about this as you may need to change. Please see here for more info about starting meds: http://i-base.info/guides/starting
I tested hiv+ on 25 sep 2018 and I started taking the medication on 1st October ever since then I’ve been going from one bad night to the a dizziness day and it’s almost a week now pls I want to know, when will all this side effect stop, when will I take the drug and it will be like I took any one drug with any side effect following immediately, I’m tired pls I need answers, how long does it take before all this side effects will stop
Hi Anonymous,
Efavirenz is the main drug in Atripla. And efavirenz could have a potential to increase the effect of cannabis. But I’m not sure if smoking weed has this potential. However, the side effects from marijuana include altered moods, sleep disturbance, euphoria and paranoia. These can also be side effects of efavirenz.
Here’s more information on a similar question.
I’m 21 from Cape Town and was diagnosed with HIV on July 20 2018.
On July 24, I went on ARVs – atripla.
The side effects like “nausea, dizziness” soon went away within 4 days but then panic attacks started and never left. Feels like I’m gonna die but i smoke weed too (don’t really wanna give it up).
Question is, is smoking weed bad when you hiv positive?
Hi Diego,
Testing HIV positive can be a tough time for many people. But it’s good that you are starting HIV medication. The START study showed that HIV treatment has important benefits for your health.
You can read more about starting HIV treatment in this guide Introduction to ART.
Hello .. I’m just diagnosed HIVlast week .. I’m 38 .. I’m smoking regular cigarette never use drugs in my life.. I’m not drink a lot but I do smoke 10 cigarettes a day … I’m going to take my medication Tuesday August 14 .. I’m scary.. my mind don’t stop thinking how I can do to be same person … I have to many questions.. I don’t know which can be the first..
Hi Veh,
General weight loss is not usually linked to modern HIV treatment (ART). If you are worried about losing weight please talk to your doctor about it. You can ask about tips for diet too. Here’s the i-Base guide to a balanced diet.
Thkx a lot gud advieser. When i stated my arv i m loosing weight
Hi Neema,
All ARVs do the same thing which is control a persons HIV. Yes there are banded ARVs as well as generics. There’s no difference in the quality, but a massive difference in price.