My husband insists we share my ARVS
Jan 06, 2008
SHARING drugs, especially ARVs, is a bad and dangerous practice. It will not only have negative effects on the two of you, but it will also affect the whole community.
Dear Doctor,
It is now about three months since I was started on ARVs. My husband, who is also sick though he has never done an HIV test, insisted that we share the drugs and even threatened to beat me if I refused. So we are taking the drugs on alternative days and apparently we are both doing well and my husband has improved. Can’t we continue like this since at least we have peace in the home?
Naomi
Dear Naomi,
SHARING drugs, especially ARVs, is a bad and dangerous practice. It will not only have negative effects on the two of you, but it will also affect the whole community.
The fact that none of you is taking the full dose of ARVs as prescribed for you by your doctor, means the virus that you have will eventually develop resistance and in the long run, the drugs will stop working for you.
It is dangerous to the community because if the virus from any of you infects any other person that person will also not respond positively to the same treatment.
The second thing you need to know is that none of you is sure that your husband is HIV-positive although he is sick. It is possible that he may be disadvantaging you by using your drugs while you are discordant.
The belief that when one is HIV-positive, then his or her spouse must also be positive has long been disproved, as we now know that there are many couples that are in a discordant relationship. (a sexual relationship where one partner is positive and the other negative).
Both of you need to go for couple counselling by an HIV/AIDS counsellor. Your husband will then be helped to appreciate the need to do an HIV test so that if he is HIV-positive, he can be assessed and if found eligible be put on ARVs.
HIV is a family disease and it is important that all people in a family where there is a person with the disease know their HIV status, instead of living in fear or blind hope.
In some centres like The Mildmay Centre, we insist that before a man or woman is put on antiretroviral treatment, their spouses must be told and be tested to avoid the above scenario.
Send your question on HIV to Health Editor, The New Vision.
P. O. Box 9815, Kampala
OR health&beauty@newvision.co.ug
It is now about three months since I was started on ARVs. My husband, who is also sick though he has never done an HIV test, insisted that we share the drugs and even threatened to beat me if I refused. So we are taking the drugs on alternative days and apparently we are both doing well and my husband has improved. Can’t we continue like this since at least we have peace in the home?
Naomi
Dear Naomi,
SHARING drugs, especially ARVs, is a bad and dangerous practice. It will not only have negative effects on the two of you, but it will also affect the whole community.
The fact that none of you is taking the full dose of ARVs as prescribed for you by your doctor, means the virus that you have will eventually develop resistance and in the long run, the drugs will stop working for you.
It is dangerous to the community because if the virus from any of you infects any other person that person will also not respond positively to the same treatment.
The second thing you need to know is that none of you is sure that your husband is HIV-positive although he is sick. It is possible that he may be disadvantaging you by using your drugs while you are discordant.
The belief that when one is HIV-positive, then his or her spouse must also be positive has long been disproved, as we now know that there are many couples that are in a discordant relationship. (a sexual relationship where one partner is positive and the other negative).
Both of you need to go for couple counselling by an HIV/AIDS counsellor. Your husband will then be helped to appreciate the need to do an HIV test so that if he is HIV-positive, he can be assessed and if found eligible be put on ARVs.
HIV is a family disease and it is important that all people in a family where there is a person with the disease know their HIV status, instead of living in fear or blind hope.
In some centres like The Mildmay Centre, we insist that before a man or woman is put on antiretroviral treatment, their spouses must be told and be tested to avoid the above scenario.
Send your question on HIV to Health Editor, The New Vision.
P. O. Box 9815, Kampala
OR health&beauty@newvision.co.ug