Question
Can magnesium reduce how well ARVs work?
3 June 2023. Related: All topics, Drug interactions, Supplements and herbs.
Hello can I please ask if taking Ashwaganda and magnesium will affect ARVs in my body or lower my immunity?
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Magnesium can reduce how much ARV is absorbed by the body.
This can be avoided by taking ARVs and Magnesium at opposite ends of the day.
This will also work with Ashwaganda.
Take Magensium and Ashwaganda together and your ARVs at the opposite end of the day. This will prevent any risk of interaction.
Josh.
Hello Kevin and thanks for getting in touch.
I disagree with your pharmacist (so does Liverpool university: https://www.hiv-druginteractions.org).
Biktarvy should not be taken at the same time as magnesium.
Taking one in the morning and the other at night is the right thing to do.
Well done for that.
Taking Biktarvy with food will help you absorb it better but it is not mandatory.
My pharmacist read the drug interactions database and told me to take biktarvy and magnesium along with food at the same time. However, I take magnesium as a sleep aid right before bed, and it seems to put me in a deeper and more sustained sleep. So, I am taking biktarvy in the morning around 7AM, and Magnesium at night around 9PM. Would this present any problem?
Hi Ntsoaki, this depends on which HIV meds you are taking. If your combination includes an integrase inhibitor (an INSTI) like dolutegravir or bictegravir then there is an interaction with some supplements including magnesium. If you want to still take magnesium but you need separate the two different tablets.
Please look up your drugs here to see the information about interactions linked to each one.
https://i-base.info/guides/category/arvs
Can I take magnesium calm if I’m on HIV treatment?