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.
How bad if my viral load is 512
I have a year now taking pil
And also drink wine and take pills
Hi Anastasia,
Drinking alcohol won’t have an impact on your CD4 count.
Hey my name is Anastasia I have bin on arvs for 7years now..i strtd takin achohol 3years n I take almost on daily bases.can tht affect my cd4
Hi Mary,
This is likely to be fine. There are no interactions between alcohol and ARVs.
More heavy drinking however can lead to missing doses of your ARVs.
I drink 2_3glasses of wine daily and take my ARVs,is that ok
Hi George,
Thank you. As Simon says on this Q&A, there are no interactions between ARVs and alcohol.
But heavy drinking may make you forget to take your ARVs and miss doses. So it’s important to make sure you find a way not to miss your meds.
I like the way you help us….I drink four to five bottles of pilsner, am I at risk and am also on ARVs?
Hi Eric,
Are you taking Atripla or one of the generic versions of this? It’s recommended to take Atripla before bedtime and on and empty stomach. But that’s not to help its efficacy. It’s because some of the side effects can happen when you’re asleep. And having a full fat meal about the time you take the meds can make the side effects worse.
You can stay up late and drink alcohol but some people feel dizzy after taking Atripla. Drinking too much alcohol might make you dizzy too. But alcohol doesn’t interact with Atripla, so you can drink at the same time as taking it.
Hello.
I always stay up late on weekends/holidays. My normal med time is 12am. Can i drink alcohol and take supper after taking the med?
Also, what will happen if i stay up late after taking the med? Will it reduce the efficacy of the med?
Hi Jojo,
Many people have mild side effects when they start taking ARVs. But these side effects are usually mild and go away after the first couple of weeks.
But it’s important to call your doctor about these symptoms if they are bad. You can ask if there are other ARVs that would be easier for you to take.