Can my brother take ARVs on an empty stomach?
Aug 02, 2009
FACE HIV<br><i>WITH DR. WATITI</i><br><br>Dear Doctor, <br>My brother who is HIV-positive has been on ARVs (Combivir and Efavirenz) for the last two years and has greatly improved. But of late, he has had challenges. When he goes to pick his drugs, he
FACE HIV
WITH DR. WATITI
Dear Doctor,
My brother who is HIV-positive has been on ARVs (Combivir and Efavirenz) for the last two years and has greatly improved. But of late, he has had challenges. When he goes to pick his drugs, he finds some of them out of stock (usually efavirenz) and is told to buy them yet he has no money. Can he continue with Combivir alone since we are told it contains two different drugs. Secondly, because of the current shortage of food in the rural areas, sometimes he eats only one meal a day yet he has to swallow his ARVs twice a day. Can he take ARVs on an empty stomach?
- Richard
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Dear Richard,
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a combination therapy, meaning drugs must be taken in well-thought out combinations in order to suppress HIV maximally. Using one drug (monotherapy) or two drugs (dual therapy) is not encouraged as it leads to HIV developing resistance to ARVs.
Your brother should only swallow ARVs when he has all of them.
The scarcity of food is so unfortunate, but he should continue taking the drugs so long as he is able to have safe drinking water since, hopefully, this is temporary situation.
In areas where food aid is being given, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people living with HIV should be given priority when distributing food. If one is malnourished, the drugs may hurt them as they lack enough protein in the body on which to bind in order for them to be effective.
WITH DR. WATITI
Dear Doctor,
My brother who is HIV-positive has been on ARVs (Combivir and Efavirenz) for the last two years and has greatly improved. But of late, he has had challenges. When he goes to pick his drugs, he finds some of them out of stock (usually efavirenz) and is told to buy them yet he has no money. Can he continue with Combivir alone since we are told it contains two different drugs. Secondly, because of the current shortage of food in the rural areas, sometimes he eats only one meal a day yet he has to swallow his ARVs twice a day. Can he take ARVs on an empty stomach?
- Richard
---------------------------------
Dear Richard,
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a combination therapy, meaning drugs must be taken in well-thought out combinations in order to suppress HIV maximally. Using one drug (monotherapy) or two drugs (dual therapy) is not encouraged as it leads to HIV developing resistance to ARVs.
Your brother should only swallow ARVs when he has all of them.
The scarcity of food is so unfortunate, but he should continue taking the drugs so long as he is able to have safe drinking water since, hopefully, this is temporary situation.
In areas where food aid is being given, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people living with HIV should be given priority when distributing food. If one is malnourished, the drugs may hurt them as they lack enough protein in the body on which to bind in order for them to be effective.