alchohol & meds ?

[jessica123]

hi , im new to this website been diagnosed for 5 months. i'm 23. used to be very active (gym) before diagnosis.
havent started meds yet  - nurse says i dont need them yet .
she also said its not a good idea to mix meds with booze? anyone have opinions pls?
cd4 650  vl 1800

[weasel]

    Hi jessica123 ,
                          Nice to meet you 

     I take my Meds with food at breakfast , at night after I eat and ready for bed .

     I used to drink like a fish , Did it for mant many years .

     When I turned 60 last August I stopped drinking cold turkey .

     Back to your question , and I am no expert but there is a problem with

     HIV meds and the liver and Kidneys .   After I stopped drinking my organs
    went back to being near perfect .

    I've had HIV / AIDS   more than half of my 60 years . 

    If you are being monitored every three months just keep an eye on the liver and kidney function .

    As a side note , I went almost 20 years before needing HIV MEDS . 
  I worked hard , played hard , and drank my young years away .
    Not sure I did much damage to my bod .

    The biggest concerne is the quailty of the food you eat .  I have always been
   A home foods type , No need to eat junk fast foods , they will do as much
 if not more damage than drinking IMHO .

                                           Be well ,
                                                        Carl

 PS. I do not see why you would be less active after diagnosis , unless you are
 in the " funk " mode . That will pass .
  I'm not a GYM Buff ; should be , But I built two large houses with my husband
 of 30 plus years , He is NEG .   I have done most everything that goes against being an AIDS victum .
  Hope to hear more from you .

[gulfcoastFL]

Hello Jessica
I have mixed alcohol and meds, not the end of the world in my opinion.  Not what you should do, but I've needed to. Pay attention to your liver function when you get a CBC. Watch it, and try to notice any correlation with drinking habits.
Personally I do drink some and when it comes to should I or shouldn't...
   For myself it interferes with healthy eating...... Ok, I'll have "1" more. Soon its midnight and I might say f**k it and go to bed.

Just having alcohol free days works best for me. No drug worries and lets me feel as though I can take back some control in my life,  and THAT feels better than the alcohol buzz. :-)

[leatherman]

hi , im new to this website been diagnosed for 5 months.

Hello and welcome! 

used to be very active (gym) before diagnosis.

like Carl, I ask, Why? get back to the gym! besides all the obvious reasons of maintaining your life and your health, there is a huge reason to go back to what you were doing - because you shouldn't let HIV steal one iota of your life and happiness. I mean, it's a crappy disease (like so many others!) with meds, lab work, and issues sometimes, so there's no reason to let HIV take anything else from you or stop you from doing anything you want to do.

havent started meds yet  - nurse says i dont need them yet . ....
cd4 650  vl 1800

your nurse is kind of wrong. While your viral load is very low, you are infected with HIV and it's only a matter of time before it causes an issue if left untreated. The guidelines used to be to wait until a cd4 count of 350 to start; but after numerous studies, the CDC recently changed the guideline to start patients on meds immediately after diagnosis (usually after a short wait to have a genotype test done to help determine the best combo of meds). Just like with any other disease, starting meds immediately has long term positive effects. Get your funding in place (insurance, ADAP, copay assistance), get your head in the game, and get on meds. You'll be healthier (and maybe feel like going back to the gym); you'll be non-infectious to others (after 2 yrs of being undetectable the transmission rate approaches 0. so by being treated you're actually helping to stop the epidemic by not spreading hiv any further); and, even though you will have lived with HIV a long time, by the time you reach 80, you'll be healthier because you started meds asap instead of waiting.

Here are some links and info to support starting meds early:

This year the newest US Dpt of Health and Human Resources HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) HAB (HIV/AIDS Bureau) HIV Performance Measures for Prescribed Antiretroviral Therapy is to prescribe antiretrovirals for all persons diagnosed with HIV regardless of CD4 count.
http://hab.hrsa.gov/deliverhivaidscare/coremeasures.pdf
http://hab.hrsa.gov/deliverhivaidscare/habperformmeasures.html

Data from the study showed that the risk of AIDS, other serious illnesses or death was reduced by 53% among people who started treatment when their CD4 levels were 500 or above, compared to the group whose treatment was deferred to when their CD4 levels dropped to 350.
http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2015/may/20150527_PS_treatment

When asked what the study tells us about the chance of someone with an undetectable viral load  transmitting HIV, presenter Alison Rodger said: "Our best estimate is it's zero."
http://www.aidsmap.com/No-one-with-an-undetectable-viral-load-gay-or-heterosexual-transmits-HIV-in-first-two-years-of-PARTNER-study/page/2832748/

she also said its not a good idea to mix meds with booze?

now that depends. hepatitis is an issue. liver and kidney problems can be issue. However, if you don't have those problems, then there's nothing wrong with a reasonable amount of booze.

[bocker3]

Our opinions are somewhat useless without understanding WHY your nurse said this?  While it is true that, in general, there is not a big concern around taking HIV meds and drinking alcohol - there may, indeed, be a good reason why you should not.  We don't know your full medical history, and I assume that your nurse does.

So, first thing I would do is ask her why she said this.

Mike

[DodgerDawg]

Hello Jessica123,

I'll assume because you're told it's to early to start meds (CD4 above 650) that you live in a country that rations health care (for example the UK).

Here in the US meds are offered to any HIV patient who is willing to start treatment.

As far as drinking on meds, the tea tottlers around here will have you believing the sky is falling. However a couple of beers or a couple glasses of wine are fine (for all the haters; I take my meds w/ a beer every day, just for you).

Take care,

DD

[Jeff G]

As our dear Ann used to say, everything in moderation including moderation .