Is beer dangerous when on ARVs?

Nov 14, 2006

I have started taking ARVs on the advice of my doctor and after being on them for two months, I feel okay. However, I enjoy taking beer and cannot sleep

Dear Doctor,
I have started taking ARVs on the advice of my doctor and after being on them for two months, I feel okay. However, I enjoy taking beer and cannot sleep without it. Is taking beer dangerous when one is on ARVs?

Masaaba

Dear Masaaba,
It is good you are feeling fine after two months on ARVs. The drugs (ARVs) are supposed to make the quality of your life better than before you started taking them. However, like all drugs, ARVs have their restrictions. You have to think about changing some of your habits which could make it difficult or impossible for you to enjoy life while on ARVs.

It is important for any person living with HIV to consider dealing with any form of substance abuse, including alcohol consumption. Addiction to any substance is a life-threatening illness.

Since you say you cannot sleep without taking alcohol, I suggest that you seek help from a professional counsellor, who will assist you to stop the habit.
Abuse of alcohol leads to injury of organs like the brain and liver, which are also susceptible to damage by HIV. ARVs also cause liver toxicity.

Therefore, it is better to avoid alcohol when taking ARVs.

Alcohol consumption leads to risky sexual behaviours which could expose you to getting infected with new and maybe more virulent strains of HIV, which could make you deteriorate faster. You could also infect other people with HIV if you indulge in unprotected sex, which often happens when people are drunk.

Lastly, taking alcohol may make adherence to the doctor’s prescriptions difficult since you may drink and forget to take the drugs at the right time and in the right amounts. This may mean the virus is not maximally suppressed and may even become resistant to drugs. So you are better off if you do not take alcohol while on ARVs.

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