Question
Can I drink alcohol with ARVs?
9 September 2014. Related: All topics, Drug interactions, Recreational drugs.
I have started ART a month ago. Before that I used to drink alcohol quite often.
Since I started ART, I try to not drink. But, I still want to.
Can I drink alcohol?
Answer
In general, one or two drink is likely to be fine, if this is something you enjoy. There are no interactions between alcohol and ARVs.
More heavy drinking however can lead to missing doses of your ARVs. This can cause your treatment to fail. This means that if you have a drink, make sure you find a way to not miss any of your meds. Moderation is important.
Two other concerns are important for people living with HIV:
- Alcohol can also make efavirenz side effects worse, in particular feeling dizzy, so be careful about this.
- Alcohol can make hepatitis or other liver complications progress more quickly. Alcohol is not recommended if you have hepatitis. See this information from the guide to HIV and hepatitis C:
https://i-base.info/guides/hepc/alcohol
The NHS website has a lot of information about alcohol. This is important whether you are HIV positive or HIV negative. See:
http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Alcohol/Pages/Alcoholhome.aspx, and
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/Effectsofalcohol.aspx
In the UK, the NHS recommendations for alcohol are:
- Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day. This is only 1-2 pints of lager – ie one strong drink.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/alcohol-units.aspx - Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day
- If you’ve had a heavy drinking session, avoid alcohol for 48 hours.
“Regularly” means drinking this amount every day or most days of the week.
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This question from 2008 was updated in September 2014.
Hi
Am Patrick
My husband has started on A TV without telling me and we had unprotected sex what will happen to me when I start my treatment?
Hi,
As Simon says on this question, “In general, one or two drinks is likely to be fine, if this is something you enjoy. There are no interactions between alcohol and ARVs.”
Modern ARVs are easier to take and have fewer side effects than early ARVs. And so the burden to kidneys and liver aims to be low enough not to cause toxicities.
Heavy drinking damages the liver, and Simon is clear on this by giving many links for further info.
You can but it is better not to.
ARV’s are powerful medicines that make your liver work more to filter them. ARV’s are not naturally occurring to our body and that is why our body perceives them as foreign threat.
Alcohol also increases enzymes in the liver that may cause liver problems – which *may* lead to hepatitis.
Hi Ben,
It happens that most people miss their meds very occasionally. So missing just one day if you are undetectable and stable on treatment will not make a difference. Missing two days in a row very occasionally will also probably not make a difference. But often missing more than three or four days in a row can start viral rebound. You can read more about tips for adherence at this link. Some drugs have more flexibility with timing.
i sometimes miss my medication for a day or two per month or some times i take after my usual time.Will that affect me
Hi James,
There aren’t any specific foods that are recommended for people who are positive. The key is to get healthy, just like negative people should do.
Which foods are recommended with people on ARVS
Hi Puseletsi, Most HIV drugs list nausea as a side effect. But it is less common, and usually mild and short term when you start treatment. Here is the i-Base guide to nausea and vomiting. But it’s a good idea to go and talk to your doctor about this. You can ask if switching from Tribuss to other meds might help.
I started arcs 4months ago the are days where I still feel week and nausea and feel like vomiting .whenever I drink alchol I vomit since I started tribuss treatment, will it ever stop.
Hi Bennedict,
People who are positive can drink alcohol, it doesn’t react with ARVs. The main thing is that you drink in moderation. And that you don’t miss taking your medication.