Question
Can I take glutathione and collagen alongside TLD?
26 May 2023. Related: All topics, Drug interactions.
I’m on TLD. Is it safe to take oral glutathione supplements with collagen etc?
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Yes. It is safe to take both glutathione and collagen alongside TLD. There is no interaction between these supplements and your HIV treatment.
Josh.
Hello Lindi and thanks for getting in touch.
Well done for being on medication and ensuring you are healthy and active.
You can take collagen just not at the same time with ARVs.
Most collagen supplements contain metals (zinc, magnesium, iron, calcium, etc) which interact with ARVs.
That means, they need to be spaced by 6 hours from your ARVs to be safe.
Hi am taking arvs, undetected for 2 years now I want to take collagen for hair skin and nails is it safe for me to take this kind of meds while on arvs
Hi Dorcas, thanks – and great that you are doing well on ARVs. There are no interactions with you ART and the products you mention but some supplements need to be taken at a different time to your meds.
This link lists all HIV meds and the more detailed info linked to each drug includes more information about interactions.
https://i-base.info/guides/category/arvs
Eating a health balanced diet and drinking water can help your skin get all the nutrients it needs.
A simple moisturiser can also help but this doesn’t need to be an expensive brand as those adverts are mainly marketing – with all sorts of claims in the adverts that have never been proven in studies.
Hi I have been taking ARVs for years now and I want to take supplements to make me look younger and a glowing skin. Is it ok take supplements like collagen, vitamin c and omega 3 fatty acid ( fish oil) while still taking my TLD.
Thank you.
Hello Ellen and thanks for getting in touch.
I am very sorry to hear you have adverse effects.
Please discuss this with your doctor.
Sometimes certain deficiencies like vitamin D can cause the darkening of the skin.
Your doctor should investigate and prescribe medication accordingly.
Please don’t take supplements over the counter as they might interact with Dovato.
I’m currently taking dovato and undetectable but my issue is that my skin is getting darker each day and I’m thinking of taking skin supplements to help with my skin. Will that be an issue for me?
Hi Sean, there is no evidence that anyone taking effective ARVs has any benefit from taking gluathione but it also doesn’t do any harm. The use of antioxidant supplements was mainly talked about over 25 years ago in the last century, before there was effective HIV treatment.
I heard that if you are taking ARVs, you are not allowed to take glutathione? Would this harm your body?
Hi Jake, no you do not need to be worried. Occasionally missing a dose is not going to risk your treatment not working.
Do you think there has been a reason you have missed 3 doses in the last 2 weeks?
The treatment being new will not change the risk of missed doses. You are still robustly undetectable and it will take more than a week of continuously missed doses for your viral load to rebound. Resistance is a rare thing to happen and will require you to miss many more doses in a row for you to be at risk.
hi i have been taking my arvs for around ten years now i had been taking TLE (efavirenz) and just changed my meds to TLD last January of this year. I have been undetected for a few years now. however, as I was counting my pills I found out I missed 3 doses of my medications for the last two weeks. Should i be worried? especially that I am new to this new meds? also last January I missed a dose. I am just worried I might develop resistance to the new medications I am taking