Question
Can I take supplements when I’m HIV positive?
4 August 2010. Related: All topics, Supplements and herbs.
Since I have been taking my HIV regimen the only time I took a vitamin tablet was during my latent TB diagnosis in 2008 (Vitamin B12). I hope vitamin and supplements are not the same?
This supplement came out in Thailand with good results and people were recommending it so much. The supplement was made from rice and called Vital Star.
Why I’m asking is because I don’t want to harm my body with supplements and I don’t know if it is possible for a HIV positive person to take supplements or not.
Please I need your advice but I bought it already.
Answer
Thank you for your question.
It is fine for HIV positive people to take vitamins and supplements. However, you should always check with your doctor first as there are some supplements such as St John’s Wart which interact with certain HIV medications.
For a comprehensive guide to which vitamins and supplements are good for people with HIV please follow this link
Hello Chloe and thank you very much for your question.
Here at i-Base we advise to only use supplements if you have a deficiency or your doctor prescribes them.
There are no evidence about effectiveness or safety for most supplements and you can suffer a toxicity if you decide to take them when you don’t need them.
However, I can’t find any interaction between your ARVs and the supplements you mention, although if other substances are included in the slimming tea there might be.
You can check yourself here: https://www.hiv-druginteractions.org/checker
Hi how are you? Im on Agriptega. I take Agriptega in the morning. There is a slimming tea called Slender You Night Tea that I would like to try. It has chamomile extract, rooibos tea and ashwagandha. Can I take this. Can I also take glutathione and how much?
Hi John, please see this previous Q about interactions:
https://i-base.info/qa/23998
Regular food and drinks, including teas, do not interact with HIV meds.
A few herbs and plants can interact and the Liverpool website includes a few where there might be a concern.
There are thousands of potential plants and supplements where ingredients will never be studied though. Where various medical claims are made based on no evidence of benefit, i-Base suggests that without this evidence there is no reason to take them.
Hi.Is Black Ginger ok to take with my hiv meds Dolutegravir/lamivudine? I would take it about two hours after my meds in the morning. What about the Tongkat ali?…low dose 2-3 hours after.Thanks for your response .Regards John
Hi Mandisa, thanks for your comment – and great that you are doing well for so long.
Please talk to your doctor about safer and more effective ways of feeling better about your body,
No matter what adverts say, there are no pills that change your body shape = no medicine can do thus.
Hyy I’m 23 years of age I was born Hiv positive but my shape of the body I don’t like so iye been thinking to take butt and hip booster pills so I can get shaped
Hi Nokuthula, congratulations on your pregnancy. Yes it is safe to take pregomega plus. This will not interaction with your treatment.
Am pregnant and positive getting my Arvs, I wanna use pregomega plus is it safe
Hi Mercy, you only need to take these additional supplements if they are lacking in your diet.
Being HIV positive is not a cause for a reduced intake of vitamins and minerals.
If you do take these as supplements, it is advised to take them at the opposite end of the day to when you take your HIV meds. Calcium specifically can reduce how well HIV treatment is absorbed and prevent it from working as effectively. Taking HIV treatment and supplements at opposite ends of the day is long enough to prevent any risk of interaction.
Good evening Sir /Madem please am HIV Positive should I take vitamins k, be, and calcium?